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According to reports, the Detroit Tigers are interested in Carlos Correa of Houston Astros, who is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2021 season.
Jon Heyman from MLB Network reported that the Tigers may face competition from the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers on Friday. They'll all be looking for shortstop upgrades during the offseason.
Since his 2015 Astros debut, Correa has been one the most productive shortstops in the league. FanGraphs ranks Correa's.835 OPS in the past seven seasons as sixth for the pivotal position.
The 27-year-old Puerto Rico native posted a career-low .709 OPS during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, but he's bounced back with an .843 OPS and 25 home runs across 146 games in 2021. According to ESPN, he ranks third among all WAR hitters (7.0).
His key role was in Houston's (93-66) win of the AL West division title, which secured a franchise-record fifth consecutive postseason berth.
Correa said to reporters Thursday night, "That sounds pretty special."
The two-time All-Star said in September that he did not want to have any contract talks this season. He expressed an interest in signing with the Astros if the playoffs are over.
"If they want me to stay here, I'll happily stay. Correa stated that if they don't want me to stay here for the long-term, then I will go play for someone else." That decision is not in my control. Only I have control over how I play on the field and how I help my team win games.
If Houston doesn't sign an extension, he'll be able to find many suitors.
On paper, the Tigers seem to make a lot sense. Heyman also mentioned the connection with A.J. Detroit manager. Hinch was the Astros' same manager from 2015 to 2019, and the Astros received poor production from Niko Goodrum, Harold Castro and Zack Short in 2021.
The Yankees believed they had their shortstop of choice in Gleyber Torres who hit 38 homers in 2019. However, his numbers have declined over the past two seasons, with a.701 OPS, and only nine long balls in 124 contests this season. New York has temporarily changed Gio Urshela's name to Gio Urshela, as it tries to secure a wild card berth.
The Twins will have a shortstop opening with the defensive-minded Andrelton Simmons set to go on the open market. If they are able to land Correa, the Rangers may move Isiah Kner-Falefa to a different position to boost their offense.
If Correa is available, other clubs will likely be interested. However, it would not surprise if the Astros push one last time to sign him before he hits the free-agent market.
