Astros Rumors: Conflicting National Reports on Carlos Correa

There are conflicting national reports and speculation on whether the Astros are still in the hunt for Carlos Correa.

There is currently no Collective Bargaining Agreement in Major League Baseball, meaning teams cannot negotiate contracts or be in contact with major-league free agents. This includes the Houston Astros and shortstop Carlos Correa.

No other offers have been reported with major-league teams and Correa, but a list of teams has been created over time. New reports are pointing towards the Astros still in the mix, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network said on his podcast that he thinks it is likely down to the Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Correa.

The national speculation is that the Astros won’t fork over the years that Correa would want, due to their franchise history under owner Jim Crane. But in terms of average annual value, the Astros have shown they can flash $30 or more million a year in order to meet that requirement of a hypothetical contract.

With Heyman believing the Astros are still in the fight, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the Astros are out on the Correa sweepstakes on ESPN 97.5’s Late Hits. Heyman and Nightengale are both national reporters, but their speculation and reporting are contradicting.

Nightengale thinks Trevor Story will be the Astros’ shortstop next season, while the former Colorado Rockies shortstop remains a free agent. The 29-year-old Texas native was reported in talks with the Astros, before the lockout was implemented.

Other than Correa news, Nightengale went onto say that fans shouldn’t worry about Justin Verlander’s signing, as the pitcher possibly didn’t complete his signing since he is overseas on vacation. Nightengale says that Verlander will be pitching for the Astros next season.