It is understandable when players want to stay with a team that they have found a great deal of success with, especially when it is the only franchise they have ever known. Astros shortstop Carlos Correa finds himself in that position.
Although he is going through the arbitration process, Correa knows where he wants to be. He stated his desire to be a member of the Astros for life, becoming the next franchise icon.
Carlos Correa said tonight on Astroline that he would "love to be an Astro for life."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 22, 2021
"Nothing would make me happier than to represent this organization and be a franchise player." - https://t.co/ulLDQozXdX
He has the perfect background to become such a player. Correa was selected with the first overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft and quickly ascended through the ranks, making his major league debut just three years later.
It did not take long for Correa to make an impact. He was the AL Rookie of the Year despite appearing in just 99 games in 2015. Although he has just one All Star appearance to his name, Correa has established himself as a viable power threat at short, one of the new wave of great young players at the position.
That does not mean that Correa is a given when it comes to the future. He has not exactly been a paragon of health, appearing in more than 110 games just once in his career. Although some of those injuries have been a fluke, such as the broken rib he suffered during a massage, those injury woes have to be a concern for Houston moving forward.
Yet this is a gamble the Astros should take. Correa has been one of the more productive shortstops in the game when he has been on the diamond, posting a career .276/.353/.480 batting line with 107 homers and 128 doubles. Locking him into the lineup through his prime, and potentially beyond, should be a priority for the front office.
Carlos Correa wants to be the next franchise icon in Houston. The Astros should make that happen.