Astros: Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman get contracts renewed
![HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 28: Carlos Correa #1 and Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros celebrate during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fclimbingtalshill-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F11-2F867633456-world-series-los-angeles-dodgers-v-houston-astros-game-four-jpg-d4a8f937d3d9b49735f5d14c65bf8a81.jpg)
Astros renew the contracts of two of their superstars.
While this is more of a formality, according to Jon Heyman, the Astros renewed the contracts of two of their young stars. No, they did agree to a long-term deal, but they do know how much they will make in 2018. Herman says that Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman have agreed to deals.
If you went back to this time last year, you might remember Correa received the MLB minimum last year. Many fans and writers (mostly Heyman) wondered if that sent the right message to Correa about his long-term future with the Astros. Heyman even threw some shade at this renewal being better than others.
source: carlos correa is renewed by astros a third straight year. this time he gets $1M though.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 8, 2018
We can erase that doubt this season as Heyman heard that Correa would earn around $1 million this year. Heyman states that this is short of what Kris Bryant got in 2017, which was $1.05 million. Correa was on pace to battle Jose Altuve for the AL MVP Award, but a thumb injury caused him to miss a month. He still batted .315 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs.
Show Bregman the money!
Expectations for Bregman were high in his first full season in 2018 after his strong finish in 2016. After a slow start in 2017, Bregman tormented pitchers late in the season and playoffs. You know that Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw are still having nightmares of Bregman’s homers.
the correa $1M figure falls just below the $1.05M kris bryant received last year from cubs. so it's in line. much better than past renewals. (maybe the world series win has everyone in a better mood?)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 8, 2018
According to Heyman, Bregman will earn $599 thousand this season. Heyman mentioned that the Astros sure love to follow their formula. From what we know, the Astros have a certain value assigned to each player.
alex bregman is renewed at 599K by astros (obvously, they really stick to their formula)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 8, 2018
Part of the Astros plan is to have young players who won’t cost too much. Then they will supplement them with other veterans. They are looking to contend now and later, so they are trying to balance the salary cap.
As Correa saw last year, he got a big bump the next year. Both are under team control for longer than George Springer and Altuve. Chris Devenski has still not gotten his contract renewed for the 2018 season. But like I said, it’s just a formality. The team has the control of how much they pay right now through the pre-arbitration process.
Next: Astros: Battle for first base is heating up
This is part of the process for players as they gain MLB experience. As we saw with Springer this year, the arbitration process awaits these two stars down the road. Before that happens, how about the Astros win another two World Series. How about them apples?
***Stats from Baseball-Reference***