Carlos Correa, the top free agent in this winter's class, found a home over the weekend, signing a three-year deal worth $105 million with the Minnesota Twins that includes opt outs after the first and second seasons. Don't feel bad if that news caught you off guard; it did the same to Correa's former and longtime double-play partner with the Houston Astros, second baseman Jose Altuve.
"I was surprised. I wasn't expecting that," Altuve said on Sunday to reporters, including the Associated Press. "Obviously we're going to miss him. He's a great player and a great guy inside the clubhouse. He was one of our leaders."
Altuve's surprise was likely fueled in part by rumors that had the Astros reopening negotiations with Correa last week. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on March 15, or fewer than four days before Correa joined the Twins, that his potential return to Houston had created a "buzz" in camp.
"Players can't stop talking about it," Rosenthal tweeted that a source had told him.
Astros players have since, presumably, found something else to talk about. Among our suggested topics for them: how confident they are in and how happy they are for rookie Jeremy Peña, the seeming frontrunner to take over for Correa at shortstop. (Altuve, for his part, did just that, telling the AP: "I'm happy for Jeremy that he might get the opportunity to come and play in the big leagues and establish himself as an everyday player.")
Peña entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the Astros' top prospect. Here's what we wrote at the time:
Peña may have made his big-league debut last season had he not undergone wrist surgery in the spring that wiped out most of his year. He did return for a 30-game stretch in Triple-A to close out the campaign, where he hit .287/.346/.598 with 10 home runs. (He's since hit .291/.364/.410 in 30 winter ball games, suggesting his wrist has healed up fine.) At his peak, Peña figures to offer a well-rounded skill set: he'll hit for average, some power, and provide value as both a defender and a baserunner. The one aspect worth monitoring with Peña's game as he nears The Show is his approach: between the minors and winter ball, he's posted a 3.94 strikeout-to-walk ratio; good for a pitcher, not so much for a hitter.
The Astros also missed out on their opportunity to add Trevor Story over the weekend, with him agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Should Peña falter, Houston would have to turn to the free-agent infielder they did sign: former Detroit Tiger Niko Goodrum.
