Astros' trade for Carlos Correa may have saved Houston’s season

It felt like, for most of the season, the Houston Astros' lineup was hanging by a thread. Christian Walker had disappointed. Yordan Alvarez was away on an injured list odyssey. Jose Altuve's age was beginning to show. And there was nary a left-handed bat to be found.

Two bright spots existed, however. Jeremy Peña was a breakout star, and Isaac Paredes proved he'd perform just as expected as a picture-perfect fit for the Crawford Boxes. Then disaster appeared to strike when Peña went on the IL on June 30 with a fractured rib. The injury wasn't supposed to keep him out super long, but any time without the club's offensive engine put it in a perilous spot.

Then, on July 19, things went from bad to worse with Isaac Paredes going down with a hamstring injury that was likely to end his season. The trade deadline was on the horizon, and Houston desperately needed reinforcements. With the season on the line, Dana Brown swung for the fences, bringing in a legitimate lefty bat in Jesus Sanchez and a versatile utility piece in Ramon Urias.

The move that got the most fanfare, though, was the trade that brought Houston's prodigal son back home. Brown re-acquiring Carlos Correa brought headlines, but with a 94 OPS+ in Minnesota and a lengthy injury history of his own, it was unclear if he'd make the impact the Astros craved.

Carlos Correa is turning black the clock and saving the Astros season

With Peña back and trade deadline reinforcements in the fold, Houston's bats should have been prepped for the stretch run. Instead, they went silent in August... except for Correa.

The 30-year-old shortstop-turned-third baseman has nearly single-handedly kept the Astros afloat as they nurse a slim lead over the rival Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Since rejoining the club that made him the first-overall pick in the 2012 draft, Correa has slashed a healthy .307/.375/.426 at a time when they needed him most.

Although the power isn't at his most prodigious level, Correa hit just seven homers in 93 games with the Twins. He has three in just 26 games with the Astros. More importantly, he's been a contact and on-base machine, providing hope while the rest of his teammates worked back to health and out of their funks.

Now with Yordan Alvarez back in the fold, signs of life from Christian Walker, who owns a .259/.337/.503 line since the All-Star break, and Jeremy Peña coming back to life with a six-game hitting streak as of August 30, Correa will have some support.

Should Correa keep this up and the rest of the names in the lineup play up to the back of their baseball cards, Houston will have one of the league's most potent lineups. Combining that with a pair of aces atop the starting rotation, a bullpen that ranks ninth in the league with a 3.73 ERA, the Astros look poised to make some noise.

They have Carlos Correa to thank for that. He held them down during their most challenging stretch, and if he can continue this the rest of the way, watch out.

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