Correa also wouldn't want the next few years gutted in a trade if he has to be here and play. he's kinda in a driver seat in all of this.
I am seeing this more and more. The benefit, which also scares me, is that its the Astros or nobody, so it will likely go down to the very last minute. It won't be about prospects. It's 100% about whether Crane can get them to eat enough salary that he is comfortable with the risk and remaining value. And whether Crane is willing to take on enough of the salary that it benefits the Twins. I can see the Astros getting a secondary bat like Castro or Tauchman and then still getting Correa. But just like JV and Grienke, it will be last minute if it happens.
Right, if Correa is who I think he is, he is watching the Twins sell at this deadline while Houston is in 1st place, looking at both situations for next season and beyond, and he probably really really hoping they trade him to Houston…although I think one thing holding that back would be knowing he’d have to move to 3B which he has been very much against in the past. Some trades should start getting finalized here in the next 2-3 hours.
someone mentioned the work stoppage as a variable. It might be a huge variable in Crane's book. Pushing 25 and 26 with money with a work stop in 27 might be an interesting business angle. No idea how the dollars make sense on either side of this . . . but might weigh into the teams' thinking.
He publicly stated he would move when he signed the huge deal with the Mets, because of Lindor. Once he got his bag, staying at SS was no longer and issue.
He's also a lot of older so he knows his limitations. He would make a heck of a third baseman with that cannon of an arm.
I think the work stoppage is really on a consideration for long term contracts. it really doesn't impact our thinking on Correa's 3 remaining years unless he miraculously stays super healthy. The only thing stopping Crane from saying yes is how it impacts this years taxes and our draft picks this season. Especially since we are probably going to lose Framber.
Very possible - which is why I have no expectations. They have already won two championships. They could end up with nothing
It depends on the cost. Getting Suarez as a rental could be very costly from a prospect perspective depending on the market. Getting Correa will not likely cost very much from a prospect standpoint. Also - Suarez is a very up and down player, he was almost DFAed a few years ago. Correa has been "okay" the last month with a .750 OPS. Suarez has hit .200 the last month, but of his 18 hits, he has 10 homers and 2 doubles.
Suarez x-ray is negative after the HBP... but... how much do we trust the ARZ medical staff more than ours?
I'm not sure there are any moves that we can reasonably make that turn us into serious title contenders- given our ridiculous injury issues.
It’s a complicated issue. No baseball means less spending…but also way less revenue. There’s logic in thinking that if 2027 is gonna be lost then it reduces team’s incentive to be good in 2025-2026 because there’s a lag in revenue generated from winning; for Houston the real monetary benefit to winning in 2017 showed up in 2018-2019 and beyond. But yes there is also logic in thinking that if there’s no baseball in 2027, now is the time to go all in. Where a team is in their competitive window I think would influence a lot, and with Houston being later in their window (Altuve, Alvarez) it might make sense to go all in, but that’s complicated because they also have some good young players and can’t be sure what they’ll get from Alvarez.
Too much money in the game today for either side to implement a work stoppage. It's not going to happen. All posturing. And I think the fact that it happened 30+ years ago is all the more reason the sides will come to an agreement. And that agreement will probably be player-friendly because the MLBPA tends to get what they want.
If I remember correctly, Correa played 3rd base for Puerto Rico in the WBC a couple years back and thrived.
It all depends on Alvarez. He is the closest thing we can add that would replace Paredes' bat (considering we got nothing from Alvarez in the first half). We still need someone to actually man 3B though. We still needed a bat before that though. Then you add on not having Meyers (I think he might be back late September and playoffs but is a guess at this point), so that is a 2nd bat. I would hope that Melton could replace Meyers but I think that is a big ask. It is a shame the Chaz is failing miserably because a platoon on him and Melton might have worked. So we need Alvarez to replace Paredes bat (and Caratini position wise). We need a 2+ war CF We need someone at 3b And the original piece we were looking for a- LHB at 2b/LF. That is a lot of asks. And if Alvarez doesn't come back none of it matters.
Nah. Obviously if Alvarez AND Paredes are out for the season then the hill gets a lot steeper. But for now it’s reasonable to expect Alvarez back for the playoffs. So to go position by position: C: Diaz is having a down year but the upside is still there and in the meantime Caratini is having a great season. They also complement each other and have report with the pitching staff. No need here. 1B: Walker has come to life in July. No need here. 2B: Altuve can man 2B or LF or DH. My opinion is that Melton and Matthews have shown enough to work as a tandem to play whichever position Altuve isn’t playing. Debatable, but I think the Astros can win in the playoffs without adding a 2B. SS: Pena is rehabbing this week so should be back next week. No need here. 3B: This is the glaring hole. Dubon is a weak bat and there really aren’t any other options. RF: Smith is slumping hard but it’s reasonable to expect him to break out of it. Debatable, but I think the Astros can win in the playoffs with Smith as their RF. CF: There haven’t been meaningful updates on Meyers so it’s hard to know whether we can expect him back. But in the meantime Trammell has put up 0.6 fwar and a wRC+ of 130 with an xwOBA of .337 over his 69 plate appearances. My opinion is that Dubon (or Meyers if he’s healthy) and Trammell could make a great CF platoon. Debatable, but I think the Astros can win in the playoffs without adding a CF. LF: see 2B. DH: Assuming Alvarez comes back, this spot is taken. Bench: Dubon, Diaz or Caratini, Matthews or Melton, and one other player who is healthy and playing well make for a deep versatile bench. No need here. SP: Framber and Brown are locked in at the top. For a playoff roster you need 4 SP who can get thru 5 innings against a great opposing lineup. I think it’s clear Gusto, Gordon, and Alexander are not fit for that role. So the huge question for this front office is how confident are they that 2 of Arrighetti, Javier, Garcia, or McCullers will be up to the task? I think it’s reasonable to expect one of them to come through, but 2 may be asking too much. So for me, next to 3B, the biggest need on this roster is a SP who can start Game 3 of a playoff series. RP: Hader and Abreu are locked in at the back. King, Sousa, and Okert have had great seasons but have been up and down, so it’s debatable if they are fit to occupy the 7th inning in the playoffs. There may be overflow from the SP if McCullers, Garcia, Arrighetti, and/or Javier end up outside the rotation. It’s less of a priority, but I think this team could use another experienced RHP who can shut down the 7th inning in a playoff game. To summarize, here are the needs in order: 1. A 3B who can hit in the 3-5 range of a playoff lineup (preferably someone who hits lefthanded). This is Correa Donovan, or Suarez, with Willi Castro in the conversation. 2. A SP who can start game 3 of a playoff series (preferably someone with an additional year of control). This is Keller, Alcantara, Gore, Cabrera, Bradley, Rasmussen, Severino, Ryan, or Lopez. 3. A quality setup man (preferably a RHP). There’s too many options to list. 4. A versatile LH bat (preferably someone who can play 2B or CF). Castro, Duran, Lowe, Kwan, Moncada, Donovan, Mullins, and Tauchman fit the bill.
