Carlos Correa, AJ Hinch spotted having lunch together in Houston

There will be a slew of teams who are interested in former Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa on the free agent market this offseason, and one of the teams who has often been linked to the team this offseason has been the Detroit Tigers.

That’s partially why when Correa and his former manager (and current Detroit Tigers manager) AJ Hinch were spotted having lunch together at a restaurant in Houston on Thursday, both Astros and Tigers fans on social media blew up.

Carlos Correa and AJ Hinch’s lunch may not mean much right now for the Houston Astros or Detroit Tigers … but it could in the future.

Considering that it’s only mid-November and that the free agent market is just developing, a lunch meeting between Carlos Correa and his former manager AJ Hinch may not mean much for the Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros right now, but it could be a sign for the future.

Also, with the current CBA expiring in just a couple of weeks, Correa may not sign before a potential lockout would happen. But there’s no denying that the Detroit Tigers could be the biggest players for Correa based on their need for a shortstop, the Tigers being ready to contend, and his connection with Hinch.

The Tigers lost 114 games in 2019 and improved a great deal in 2020 under managers Ron Gardenhire and Lloyd McClendon, who took over for the final eight games of the season after Gardenhire left the team due to health issues. But under Hinch, the Tigers improved from a 23-35 record (equivalent to a 64-98 record in a 162-game season) to a 77-85 record under Hinch in 2021.

Last week, two of three MLB Trade Rumors writers for their free agent prediction articles predicted that Correa would end up with the Tigers. He was the top free agent on their list and they predicted that he will sign for 10 years and $320 million.