Carlos Correa scores mega-deal with the San Francisco Giants
MLB HOT STOVE
14 December 2022
Carlos Correa just got paid! Composite image by Jack Brame.
Former Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa has agreed to a 13-year contract for $350 million with the San Francisco Giants.
The San Francisco Giants and Carlos Correa are in agreement on a 13-year, $350M deal, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/hHcwWXTdRa
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 14, 2022
Correa's name was getting linked to the New York Mets as recently as Tuesday, making many Astros fans think he might be headed to New York to team up with former Astros ace Justin Verlander.
Instead, Correa decided to take the fourth-largest guarantee in MLB history with the Giants. Correa is only behind Mike Trout ($426.5M), Mookie Betts ($365M), and Aaron Judge ($360M). He is now the highest paid shortstop in baseball.
When looking at the 5-year $160 million deal he turned down from the Astros, Correa was right to wait for the big payday if securing the biggest shortstop contract was his primary goal, which clearly it was. You don't hire super agent Scott Boras to take a hometown discount. His plan to spend one year with the Minnesota Twins after the lockout slowed down free agency last season has clearly paid off.
Watching the Astros win the World Series with rookie Jeremy Pena playing in his place had to be tough to watch, but he has 350 million reasons to feel better about it now.
For the Astros, watching players leave and sign huge deals each offseason has become the norm. But the Astros have managed to find ways to overcome the losses and compete for championships every year. And unlike Gerrit Cole, at least George Springer, Verlander, and Correa didn't sign with the AL rival Yankees. NL teams are spending crazy money this offseason, just look at what's going on in the NL East.
Correa ripple effect
Coming off the Correa and Christian Vazquez news, Houston fans are patiently waiting for the Astros to address outfield, DH, and catcher, as Astros owner Jim Crane discussed at the Jose Abreu press conference. Perhaps we'll see free agency get ramped up, with several of the biggest names coming off the board.
The Astros could use a left-handed bat, and they may not be able to wait until March to find out if Michael Brantley is fully recovered from his shoulder injury. But as we've seen from these latest contracts, signing a player like Andrew Benintendi won't come cheap. Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo signed an 8-year $162 million contract with the Mets recently. And Jim Crane may not be looking to make a commitment like that to an outfielder.
At the end of the day, handing out 13-year 350 million dollar contracts is just not how the Astros do business.
And that's one of the reasons they've been so successful for so long.
How Astros surging ace raises key questions about Houston's short, long-term rotation moves
Jul 25, 2024, 5:39 pm
It's no secret to Astros fans that the ascension of Hunter Brown is one of the primary reasons the team was able to rebound from a disastrous start to the season.
Astros manager Joe Espada has seen enough from Brown to start throwing around the word “ace” when talking about him.
Joe Espada on Hunter Brown: "He's having that ace feeling to him. We are expecting him to go out there and deliver what he just did. We knew all along that is in him and now he's starting to turn the corner. He's starting to have that swag where he knows 'my team needs a win.'"
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 24, 2024
And it appears the biggest key to Brown's turnaround was mixing in a two-seam fastball to keep right-handed hitters honest. Brown needed a pitch that could command the inside of the plate, which allows his other pitches to be more effective.
We learned just recently, from Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that Alex Bregman was the one that suggested the addition of the two-seam fastball to Brown's arsenal.
Come to find out, Bregman often shares advice on how to attack hitters. Or he'll ask pitchers why they chose a certain pitch in a specific situation.
This just goes to show that veteran leadership can make a big difference. Especially on a team with so many young pitchers and catchers. Bregman was able to help Brown when no pitching coach could.
For Brown, this small tweak could be the catalyst that changes the course of his career. And the Astros season for that matter.
However, some will say the difference in Brown is more about confidence than anything else. But confidence only builds after repeated success. Nobody knows where Brown would be without the two-seam fastball.
Looking ahead
If the Astros do make the playoffs, where will Espada slot Brown in the playoff rotation? Framber Valdez has the playoff experience, so he'll probably be penciled in as the number one starter.
Justin Verlander (neck) still isn't facing live batters, so it's hard to count on him. Ronel Blanco has been an All-Star level pitcher this season, but he doesn't have any experience pitching playoff games for the Astros.
So it wouldn't be surprising at all if Brown is the team's number two starter. In all likelihood, whoever is pitching the best at the end of the season may get the nod. But it's fun to discuss in the meantime.
Finally, how does Hunter Brown's arrival impact the Astros' plans at the trade deadline? And how could that affect Justin Verlander's future with the club?
Be sure to check out the video above for the full conversation!
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
