Houston Astros Made Right Choice Not Matching Megadeal for Homegrown Star

The Houston Astros dodged a bullet when a homegrown star departed via free agency in 2023 for a historic contract.

Nov 2, 2021; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros infielders Carlos Correa (1) and Jose Altuve (27) react during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game six of the 2021 World Series at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have already said goodbye to one homegrown talent during the offseason and seem prepared to allow another to leave in free agency.

Star right fielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs in a shocking move, deviating from the norm the Astros have shown when it comes to players nearing free agency.

In the past, they have allowed them to play out the final year of team control before hitting the market.

That wasn’t the case with Tucker, who they flipped in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith, getting some solid value in return for the two-way outfielder.

It was a nice change of how things are normally handled since Houston looks like they are going to lose third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency.

Replacing the star will be a tall task given how productive he remains on the field. Consistent at the plate, he won his first Gold Glove this past season and is a key part of the team’s leadership in the dugout.

Replacing that will be easier said than done, but watching homegrown talent walk out of the door in free agency isn’t anything new for this franchise and is something they have overcome in the past.

One of the past big-named players to do it was shortstop Carlos Correa since the team had a ready-made replacement in Jeremy Pena waiting in the wings.

Coming off an MLB-leading 7.2 WAR campaign in 2022 at a premium position, he was ready to cash in on a massive contract.

It wasn’t the prototypical road to a massive contract. There were twists and turns along the way.

Originally, it was reported that he was in agreement with the San Francisco Giants on a historic 12-year, $350 million deal. With some disagreement about his physical arising, the New York Mets took full advantage, offering a 12-year, $315 million deal that he agreed to.

They too became concerned with his medicals, which led to Correa agreeing to a three-year, $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins, which he opted out of after his debut season to test the market again.

It took one more winter, but he eventually landed the massive multi-year contract he was seeking, as the Twins brought him back on a six-year, $200 million deal, which is among the largest in MLB free agency history.

Alas, Minnesota hasn’t gotten as much bang for their buck as they had hoped, which resulted in Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report giving the signing a “D” when evaluating the biggest signings in baseball.

“Correa was productive when healthy last season, hitting .310/.388/.517 with a 152 OPS+ in 86 games while earning an All-Star selection. However, he has played 140 games just twice over 10 seasons in the big leagues, so it's unlikely his injury woes will suddenly be a thing of the past. The Twins are also now having trouble navigating his bloated salary, which has led to his name surfacing in trade rumors just two years into his six-year contract.”

It was certainly surprising to see a small-market team hand out such a lucrative contract.

Given some of the operating constraints they have despite there being no salary cap in the MLB, they need the player to perform up to expectations.

Correa has been solid, but not superstar levels as his contract would suggest.

That has complicated things for the franchise, as they look to keep pace with the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers in the ever-improving AL Central.