Mark Berman: Astros offering Carlos Correa a 5 year/160 million dollar contract

I'm curious how his offensive output compares to other top 3rd basemen? Would he still qualify as elite?

 

Wow

 

Which would be true for any player. Injuries increase in all players the older they get, especially if they’re playing a physically demanding position.

 

I don’t know. His bat is just not that good to warrant moving to 3rd. If he flirted with 300 more - sure. But you take away his best attribute to keep him on the field? Seems dumb.

 

I'd say the league has more elite SS than 3B, so it would look better for him (assuming having to learn 3B doesn't affect his offense)

 

https://theathletic.com/2991207/202...ho-will-be-the-best-free-agents-on-the-market

[…] Despite the flurry of activity this past week, there will still be plenty of good players available. There are multiple former MVPs on the market, not to mention the consensus No. 1 talent, two-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa. As the sport prepares for a transactionally frozen winter, here are the top players waiting for the thaw.

Best player

Carlos Correa, SS

Here is a brief demonstration.

Shortstop A

Age: 27

Offensive numbers, 2019-2021: .290/.360/.516, 131 OPS+, 50 HR, 185 RBI.

bWAR, 2019-2021: 8.7

Shortstop B

Age: 27

Offensive numbers, 2019-2021: .276/.356/.487, 126 OPS+, 52 HR, 176 RBI.

bWAR, 2019-2021: 12.6

The first shortstop is an excellent player. His name is Corey Seager. He recently signed a 10-year, $325 million contract with Texas. By the power of deductive reasoning, you have by now determined that the second shortstop is Correa. Seager is a better hitter, by a small margin, but Correa is a more accomplished fielder. There are many in the industry who believe Seager will move to a corner infield position in the coming years. Correa just won the Platinum Glove, the award given to the sport’s best defender.

So Correa should merit a contract in the same range as Seager, if not a pricier one. The trouble now, as Ken Rosenthal outlined recently, is determining which team will pay it. Some Dodgers and Yankees harbor antipathy toward Correa because of his role in Houston’s cheating scandal. The Mariners plan to play J.P. Crawford at shortstop. Boston would likely have to ask Correa to change positions to accommodate Xander Bogaerts, who can depart after 2022.

The best fit for Correa may still be Detroit, even after the Tigers splurged $140 million on Javier Báez. Báez can play second base, as he did next to his friend, Francisco Lindor, during the second half in New York. The presence of Jonathan Schoop should not preclude Detroit owner Chris Ilitch from taking a page out of the recent playbook authorized by Rangers owner Ray Davis. Texas remade its middle infield by dropping $500 million on Seager and Marcus Semien. Like Davis, Ilitch can afford the expenditure.

 

I thought about it further, and it is dumb. If you’re the Mets, or Mariners, and you have an opening at 3B, why would you ever pay Correa 10/300 to play 3B when you can sign Bryant for what, Baez money? Or even Simien money. I guess one could quibble over Correa hitting his prime offensively and being a better stick than Bryant over the next 5-6 years. But so much of Correas value is his Platinum SS glove, why pay for that Platinum glove when Bryant’s regular old 3B glove plus versatility would do just fine?

I’m now keen on seeing Bryant going to the Mets to take them off the board.

 

Boegarts has a player option he's likely to exercise next year so they may lose him. So Correa could play 1 year at 3B for the Red Sox before returning to SS. There are lots of ways for it to work depending on the team.

 

well dang, I’m trying to take teams off the list. Your logic makes sense. I’m adding Boston back on. But then again, Boston dealt Mookie Betts bc they didn’t want to give him a mega deal. Why give one to Correa.

 

So their owner would have more money to buy the Penguins, lol.

 

Phillies open the season in....Houston next year. Sometimes the narrative writes itself, right?

 

Supposedly, Carlos is being evasive about his medical records. No one is going to give him 8-10 without seeing those.

 

That’s hard to believe. That always does way more harm than good. Teams are going to assume the worst case scenario without proof. Surely Correa and his agents aren’t that stupid.

 

I doubt Buster Olney just made it up...

 

How legit is Olney reporting? Where did Olney get this information?

 

Olney saying Yankees focusing more on Judge.

 

That would be a mistake on the yanks part but one I'd be very happy if they made.

 

5 year extension on Judge to the age of 34 would look solid for the Yankees, but he has health issues also.

 

This seems ... weird. If his medical records show ongoing back issues, the Astros shouldn't be offering 5/160 either. Back issues aren't something that you think "hmm, this might crop up in 6 years". It's something you worry about now.