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Merry Christmas, Astros fans! You got your present six weeks ago, but I’m sure there are still plenty of Astros jerseys under the tree (except maybe Jeremy Peña jerseys, which are notoriously hard to find according to our Mario Diaz.
Let’s take a look at what’s going on with the Astros into the new year and what’s left to do to complete this team for a 2023 World Series run.
The Astros have an official deal with Michael Brantley as of Wednesday. He’s back on a reported $12 million deal with up to $4 million in incentives. We all know the story with Brantley - when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best pure hitters in the game, but he’s coming off shoulder surgery. Brantley is promising to start hitting in January and to be fully ready for spring training.
He’ll slot into the No. 2 spot in the lineup, moving Peña down to No. 7, and creating one of the most dangerous 1-7s in all of baseball.
If the Astros make no more moves (it’s unlikely they make any big ones), the lineup will look like this:
2B Jose Altuve
3B Alex Bregman
RF Kyle Tucker
1B Jose Abreu
SS Jeremy Pena
Correa gets his money, but not from the Giants
Former Astros superstar Carlos Correa is still getting $300+ million from someone else, but in a stunning reversal due to a disagreement over his medical records, Correa will join the Mets instead of the Giants.
Correa will also move to 3rd base to accommodate his fellow Puerto Rican Shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Mets have now vaulted to potential NL favorites, but still trail the Astros in betting odds.
One thing Astros fans know is that Correa adds postseason mystique to whatever team he joins, and is 7th all time in career postseason home runs along with a number of clutch moments in an Astros uniform.
What’s left?
Two things really - re-sign Yuli Gurriel and sign a backup catcher. The second one may be negligible as the Astros have two catching prospects potentially ready to play in Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz.
Gurriel used to play third base and has the ability to fill in at second base as needed. He’s also a long-time positive clubhouse presence and will come relatively cheaply for a team who is still at least $20+ million under the first luxury tax line.
Backup catchers are going quickly off the market and a guy like Tucker Barnhart would make sense to take pressure off Lee and Diaz. The Astros also have Cesar Salazar coming up the pipeline as well as the younger Correa, JC, who should start his season in Double-A.
What’s next?
Nothing! Enjoy your holiday season and likely quiet January before pitchers and catchers report and a number of Astros players play in the World Baseball Classic!