Astros lineup prediction if they lose Carlos Correa

If the Houston Astros aren’t able to convince Carlos Correa to return, what could their lineup look like without him in 2022?

What happens to the Houston Astros if Carlos Correa ends up with another team? Well, they’ll have to do what they can to replace him. More than likely, this team won’t fall off the face of the earth, but the folks in Houston won’t exactly be all that happy if they lose a player as talented as Correa.

Astros fans are unfortunately familiar with losing beloved players. Houston went through this when George Springer ended up leaving town and, should Correa take off for a new team, Astros fans will go through it all once more.

There’s still a chance the Astros could come to some sort of compromise with Correa. Getting Correa to come back for at least a little while longer would help this team win. But it may not be necessary as Houston has been able to sustain a high level of success over a considerably amount of time. There’s a good chance Houston can keep winning, even if Correa isn’t on the roster.

Should he actually leave, what would the roster look like? Specifically, what would the lineup look like without Correa?

Houston Astros: Predicted 2022 lineup if Carlos Correa leaves

Houston will have plenty of options for replacing their talented shortstop. It just depends on how creative they want to get. But, to avoid wandering too deep down the rabbit hole, let’s assume the Astros don’t do anything radical and are able to just simply move a solid prospect to fill the gap that Correa leaving would leave.

When trying to guess what Houston’s 2022 lineup could look like, it’s worth considering how the Astros operated in the World Series against the Atlanta Braves.

Of course, it should be noted that this isn’t an official look at what Houston will do, but it wouldn’t be a bad option for Dusty Baker to consider based on how things looked for the Astros this postseason.

1. Jose Altuve (2B)
2. Michael Brantley (LF)
3. Alex Bregman (3B)
4. Yordan Alvarez (DH)
5. Kyle Tucker (RF)
6. Yuli Gurriel (1B)
7. Jeremy Pena (SS)
8. Chas McCormick (CF)
9. Martin Maldonado (C)

Pena is young. He doesn’t have a ton of experience at this level. There’s a very good chance he will not be as good as Correa, at least not at first. Still, he’s the most logical move for Houston to consider (unless they want to get weird and move Bregman over or make a splash signing in free agency).

That’s a lineup that the Astros could theoretically win with, assuming Pena can make the transition to playing at this level. That’s a pretty big if, but Houston still has plenty of offseason left to figure out a plan for this coming season.