One of the more entertaining times to be a fan of Major League Baseball is when the winter meetings get started up because that means the “Hot Stove” talk is beginning to heat up, no pun intended.
A lot of the talk around the offseason is about the Houston Astros and a lot of that has to do with the allegations of sign-stealing, but there are some other headlines outside of that. With that in mind, let’s look at the latest concerning the Astros as the winter meetings draw closer.
Carlos Correa Being Traded?
One of the biggest headlines concerning the Astros evolves around one of the key cogs to the franchise’s recent success. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Carlos Correa’s name is being tossed around in trade talk to alleviate a payroll crunch.
Heading into the 2020 season, the team has the highest luxury-tax payroll at approximately $228 million according to Spotrac.
The number-one pick in the 2012 MLB Draft missed 75 games in 2019 because of a fractured rib and back discomfort back in May
In the Hunt for Cole?
The Gerrit Cole sweepstakes has been one of the biggest talking points as the start of free agency draws near and unlike recent years, it seems like the bidding wars will end well before the calendar flips over to 2020. Obviously, the New York Yankees are about to back up the proverbial Brinks truck to snag the Astros ace, but it won’t be easy with the Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, and even Houston is throwing their hat in the ring according to the New York Post.
If the reports are to be true, the rumors concerning Correa might make a little more sense to try and offload some money to make sure they can give Cole what he needs to stick around. It’s still going to be a lot of work to not break the bank and get one of the most coveted free agents in the league.
Aces Named to All-MLB First Team
Major League Baseball announced their first-ever All-MLB teams on Tuesday and both of Houston’s aces in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were named to the first team. Fans accounted for 50 percent of the voting for the All-MLB Team, while a panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other baseball officials were responsible for the other half.
Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez were all named to the second-team.