Houston Astros Release Brother of Franchise Icon
Ahead of the 2022 season, the Houston Astros decided to let one of their franchise icons walk.
It wasn't the first time this had happened as they saw Gerrit Cole and George Springer both wind up on new teams in free agency after not offering them megadeals to keep them as part of the organization, but when they let Carlos Correa walk, that signaled the time for their group who won them the franchise's first ever World Series title was coming to an end.
There are still holdovers.
Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman are still on the roster, having won their second championship in 2022, but letting former No. 1 overall pick Correa out the door was a sign this "Golden Era" was dwindling.
That is evident right now as the Astros look like a shell of the team they have been in the past, sparking the wife of their former general manager to take some shots at the organization on social media.
On Tuesday, Houston decided to move off another Correa who was within their pipeline as Astros Future reported they released J.C. Correa who is the younger brother of Carlos.
Officially listed as a 38th round pick in the 2019 draft, the 25-year-old was with their Double-A affiliate this season following spending all of 2023 at that level.
After looking like a solid hitter in the earlier stages of his career, Correa struggled at the higher level, failing to produce a batting average over .250 while only hitting eight home runs and producing 62 RBI across 142 games in Double-A.
He was always viewed as a prospect who had a limited ceiling, so there was a real question if the infielder would ever reach the Majors.
Still, this is notable because of who his brother is.
Maybe the younger Correa will be able to find a home with another organization and flourish so he can get a shot at the bigs, but right now, it seems like that opportunity won't be with the Astros.
BRAD WAKAI
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai