I love Springer the most, but Correa too. I will always love every single player from that 2017 team. They brought us our first WS after SO MANY YEARS of being heartbroken.
I totally agree that Pena could absolutely play both short and 3rd at the same time. Or maybe short and 2nd if needed. Great way to save money too!
No to Carlos...inconsistency/lack of production, injuries, big contract... Suarez on the other hand...
I am liking the idea of Correa coming back more and more. It could be a really great short term and long term move. He fills an immediate need at 3B, Paredes can shift to 2B when he is healthy next year (sadly, I think he's done for 2025), which solves our 2B problem, and then we also have a contingency plan at SS long term if Pena is not extended. Sentimentality aside, do it!
Literally nothing that the Astros say should be believed about injuries - but I have had two people with the Astros tell me that they are not expecting Paredes back in 2025. So, If Crane gets Correa, that is where he will play in 2025 (3rd). As for 2026, Correa would be a better second baseman than Paredes, but I still think that the Astros will stick Correa at third for his back and have Paredes at second. The Astros infield would be very impressive with Walker, Paredes, Pena and Correa.
Miguel Ullola isn't a guarantee, no prospect is. Even Mark Prior ultimately had a flat big league career. Having said that - there are a lot of things to like about him. First, he has an exceptional out pitch, a fastball that he can throw literally half the time or more, and it isn't even based on velocity, but late movement up in the zone. That is a massive security blanket that very few pitchers have. Guys don't hit it better the more often they see it either. So that is a huge building block. However he also has really improved his second pitch and it is above average as well. He also doesn't give up homers, his ball is very heavy and teams don't homer off of him. He literally does everything at a high level except walk batters. That is a serious flaw, for sure - but a lot of guys have improved their ability to throw strikes past the age of 23. In AAA he is giving up 6 hits per 9 innings, and he is striking out 12 hitters per 9 innings and has given up 4 homers all season. What Ullola needs to improve is very clear - not walking guys, and some pitchers never figure it out, but a good number do figure it out. Framber for example was walking 6 per 9 his first few seasons in the big league. Hunter Brown wasn't walking quite as many as Ullola (6), but was walking like 4-5 per 9 at the same age and point of development. Abreu was walking over 5 per 9 when he was sent to the big leagues. Arrighetti has walked 4-4.5 a game in the big leagues. So - considering that Ullola has the ability to go deep, has a dominant out pitch that he can also use to set up hitters, has a good second pitch - doesn't give up homers and does just about everything else well, I think gambling on him cutting his walks from 6 per 9 down to 4 per 9 is a decent gamble. Even if it is a 1:3 chance he does it, that is pretty good odds for someone should be very good with better control. That is just my personal opinion though - and I am not an expert, and not everyone I liked has panned out.
