If Carlos Correa really is done in Houston, here are three replacements the Astros should consider with their money.
It’s unlikely that the Astros will be willing to spend big money on a shortstop, especially after refusing to re-sign Correa to anything close to his actual worth. Spotrac predicts that Correa’s annual value will be something close to $26 million per season.
The Astros won’t meet that price tag, and Correa knows it. On Wednesday, he all but cemented his fate in the free agent market in an interview with The Athletic.
“My last year with the Astros,” Correa said. “Hopefully we can win another championship and I can leave this great organization with two of them.”
While Correa hopes to go out with a bang, the Astros must look towards the future.
Houston Astros should sign Andrelton Simmons to replace Carlos Correa
Simmons’ bat leaves plenty to be desired, and it’s likely why he’ll be shown the door in Minnesota this coming season. Yet, his glove is among the best in the bigs at his position and it’s why Spotrac has his annual valuation around $7.5 million, which is actually less than the $10 million he made this year.
Simmons is a four-time Gold Glove winner and 32 years old, making him the perfect short-term bridge shortstop from one elite player in the hole to (what the Astros hope) is another in the farm system. This is Simmons worst year at the plate by a wide margin, so hopefully it’s an outlier. The Astros could get him for cheap.