Carlos Correa Trade Rumors: Astros Star Floated in Talks Ahead of Contract Year

Carlos Correa's time with the Houston Astros could come to an end before to the start of next season. 

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Astros are "floating" their All-Star shortstop in trade talks since it is "unlikely they will sign him before he reaches free agency at the end of the season."

Houston's run of success over the past four seasons came when a number of its best players were in their arbitration years. 

That started to change last offseason when Gerrit Cole signed with the New York Yankees for the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.

MLB.com's Brian McTaggart noted that George Springer, the Astros' biggest free agent this offseason, is unlikely to return because of what he can command on the market and "some upgrades (Houston will) need to make in their pitching staff."

Correa could net a significant return in a trade. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors projects the 26-year-old will only make $10.2 million in arbitration. By comparison, Francisco Lindor, who seems likely to be dealt by the Cleveland Indians, is projected to get $21.5 million in his final year of arbitration. 

Since both players made their MLB debuts in 2015, Correa has hit .276/.353/.480, while Lindor has hit .285/.346/.488. 

Correa does have injury concerns, as he missed a total of 192 games in three seasons from 2017 to 2019. The Puerto Rican star looked fully healthy in the postseason this year, though, hitting a robust .362/.455/.766 with six homers in 13 games.