Carlos Correa is a free agent, and while there is always the possibility he could return, the contract he will demand goes against how the Astros have operated in the decade Jim Crane has owned the team.
With the assumption Correa will be wearing a different uniform by the time spring training rolls around, here’s a look at three players who could fill his shoes. One is a prospect within the organization, one is a former Gold Glove winner, and the other is a big ticket All Star.
The prospect: Jeremy Pena
Drafted in the third round three years ago, Pena is considered the best defensive player in the Astros system, which is why FanGraphs rated him as the Astros top prospect in April. The bat was a question mark when he was drafted, though he did show well in 2019 with Quad Cities and Fayetteville. 2021 was supposed to give the Astros a better feel for what he could do, but a wrist injury suffered in April only allowed him to play in 30 games with Sugar Land. He did finish with a .944 OPS in AAA, but his strikeout rate was 26.3 percent while his walk rate was just 4.5 percent.
Even though he’s not on the 40-man roster, the Astros did include Pena on their postseason taxi squad which allowed him to work with the Major League coaching staff for the last month. An Astros official told SportsRadio 610 Pena is further along with the bat than the team expected which he showed by hitting a home run to straightaway centerfield off Zack Greinke during a simulated game before the World Series.
The rest of the Astros infield will remain intact, so playing in the same diamond as Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and Yuli Gurriel would take some of the pressure off a guy who just turned 24, and the depth of the Astros lineup would allow him room to grow offensively.
The Gold Glove winner: Andrelton Simmons
At 32-year old, Simmons remains one of the premier defensive shortstops in all of baseball and is a finalist for what would be his fifth Gold Glove. He trailed only Correa amongst shortstops in defensive runs saved and finished ahead of Correa in outs above average. Defense will never be a question for Simmons; however, the bat is a different story.
Simmons has registered three seasons with an above average OPS over the course of his 10-year career, but he hasn’t achieved that since 2018, and his production plummeted at the plate in 2021. His .558 OPS was worst in baseball among the 161 players with at least 450 plate appearances. The top six in the Astros order will be as feared as any next season, regardless of who plays shortstop, but adding Simmons with Martin Maldonado would make for a nice break at the bottom for opponents.
The Astros could sign Simmons and have him split time with Pena in 2022.
The All Star: Trevor Story
From the time he debuted in 2016 through the 2020 season Story actually compiled a high bWAR than Correa (22.6-22.2) as well as more All Star appearances, but Story’s offensive numbers took a dive in 2021 while Correa enjoyed the best season of his career. Story finished the 2021 season with an .801 OPS more than 100 points off his output from 2018 and 2019, and with the free agent class as strong as it is, the massive nine-figure deal may not be out there, but he could opt to sign a one-year pillow contract with the hopes of rebuilding his market value 12 months from now.
Story ranked fourth among all shortstops in defensive runs saved this season, though StatCast’s outs above average wasn’t so kind to him. He turns 29 later this month and remains a wonderful athlete with tremendous power from the right side. He’s also a beloved teammate.
A native of Irving, the Rangers seemed like a likely destination for Story, but after enduring three straight losing seasons in Colorado, going to another losing club may not interest him at the moment.