Nolan Arenado was almost a member of the Houston Astros but used his veto power to axe that deal. Many months later, the Astros now have Carlos Correa playing the hot corner, and Correa has learned the position — which he switched to from shortstop — in part by... watching Arenado play the position. So the spirit of Nolan Arenado is a member of the Astros, and it exists in Carlos Correa. Or something.
This might be best-case scenario for the Astros, frankly. Arenado's glove is still top-tier but his bat isn't as impactful, while Correa seems to be regaining his old form now back on the team he won a World Series with in 2017.
In a new profile at The Athletic, Astros beat writer Chandler Rome describes how Correa has gotten comfortable at the hot corner:
Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman and Manny Machado “look like they are the best at the position,” according to Correa. The 17 Gold Gloves and eight Platinum Gloves among them support the claim. Each stays low, snares everything in sight and has set a standard for third base defense during the modern era.
“When I look at them and the way they play, the way they attack the ball, the way they attack the angles, the way the arm slot is when they make the throws, it just looks right,” Correa said.
Carlos Correa is learning third base on the fly
It's not like Carlos Correa is learning how to play the outfield for the first time; he has won a Gold Glove as a shortstop, so he's at least familiar with the mechanics of fielding. But moving over to third base is a different beast and Correa has, for the most part, been passable over there.
So now the question becomes... is it better to have Nolan Arenado playing third base or Carlos Correa playing third base while imitating Nolan Arenado?
Well, it depends on what you value, I suppose. Arenado ranks in the 82nd percentile of fielding range (OAA) which is actually down a bit from where he usually is, but still ranks among the best defenders at the position. Correa, meanwhile, is in the 38th percentile of defenders, posting a minus-1 OAA. In 2024, when he was still playing as a shortstop, Correa was in the 87th percentile for OAA and the 78th percentile for arm strength, a combination that makes a player pretty valuable at their position.
So, from a defensive perspective, Correa is certainly not Arenado at third base. But he's approaching average, and if he can get there, paired with a much better hitting profile than Arenado, the Astros will, in a long, winding way, be happy the Arenado trade never worked out in the end.