Rumor: Carlos Correa’s Lower Back Issues Affecting Free Agency

Buster Olney reports that Carlos Correa’s lower back issues could be affecting his free agency.

In 2019, Carlos Correa’s season was put on hold after leaving an August game with back discomfort. Since that season, the Houston Astros never disclosed any sort of injury for Correa, while his only trip to the injured list from 2020-2021 was due to health and safety protocols.

Now, Correa is a free agent. A free agent that didn’t sign before the expiration of the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. This leaves him unemployed until the next CBA is proposed and instilled.

While thought about suitors look elsewhere to fill the shortstop position, many wonder why Correa hasn’t inked with a team yet. The 27-year-old is arguably the most skilled shortstop in his free agency class and could be holding out to be paid the most of anyone at the position.

But, there are now rumors circling about previous back issues that haven’t been reported on since the ’19 season. Buster Olney of ESPN was a recent guest on The Wheelhouse on ESPN 97.5 FM in Houston, while he disclosed that “there are questions about lower back.”

Olney stated that Correa has had treatment, but teams can’t access his records until they make a significant offer. He went onto say that teams are a bit skeptical on giving Correa a significant offer without further knowledge of his injury records.

Astros’ fans haven’t taken to kindly to Olney’s report, while some view it as false information leaked by owners to drive Correa’s price down. Olney, for one, gets most of his reports from team ownership, as seen in his Twitter coverage.

Correa will receive a large contract this offseason, whenever the next CBA is put in place. While many teams scrambled to sign free agents the last few days, Correa won’t have to worry about not having a job. He’ll likely sign once the best deal is offered.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported that Correa is being asked to play third base by teams, but the American League Platinum Glove winner would do it for the right price. Correa floated the idea before the 2021 season, but he shows way more value at shortstop after this past year.

What teams are in on free agent Carlos Correa?

Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reported on Wednesday that Correa has heard from the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves, as well as the Astros. The only offer reported was the Astros’ five-year, $160 million contract that was turned down last month, which had a great average annual value but not the long-term look.

Mike Rodriguez of Univision, who broke Javier Baez’s most recent contract, reported that the Cubs and the Yankees are the two teams directly in the hunt to sign Correa, also.