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Cubs Hire Ehsan Bokhari As Assistant General Manager

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The Cubs’ reshaping of the front office continued Monday, as they announced the hiring of Ehsan Bokhari as an assistant general manager. Bokhari, 38, has spent the past four seasons in the Astros’ front office — first as their director of R&D in 2018 and, more recently, as their senior director of player evaluation from 2019-21.

With the Astros, Bokhari contributed to player evaluation at the amateur, professional and international levels in addition to overseeing the entirety of the team’s research and development projects. He was one of the original members of the Dodgers’ research and development staff, serving as a senior analyst with Los Angeles from 2015-18. Bokhari holds a PhD in quantitative psychology and an MS in Statistics from the University of Illinois, in addition to undergraduate degrees in psychology and mathematics from the University of Arizona.

Bokhari will replace longtime Cubs executive Randy Bush as assistant general manager, as the 63-year-old Bush transitions into a consultant/advisory role with the Cubs, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The Cubs’ front office has seen a good bit of turnover throughout the past calendar year, beginning with Theo Epstein’s decision to step down as president of baseball operations. Longtime GM Jed Hoyer was elevated to that vacant title, and earlier this month Hoyer announced the hiring of Cleveland assistant GM Carter Hawkins as the team’s new general manager.

Poll: Astros/Braves, Who Wins The World Series?

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The Fall Classic is set to begin on Tuesday, with the Astros and Braves meeting in Game 1 of the World Series.  This is the first time these two clubs have met in the World Series, though they were pretty frequent postseason opponents back when the Astros were in the National League.  Between 1997 and 2005, Atlanta and Houston met five times in NLDS play, with the Braves coming out on top in three of those matchups.

The Braves are heading to the World Series for the tenth time in their history, and in search of their fourth championship.  While nothing will ever top the 1914 Miracle Braves as the franchise’s signature comeback story, the 2021 team isn’t that far off, considering how this year’s Braves were only 52-55 heading into action on August 3.  By this point, Atlanta had already lost Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mike Soroka to season-ending injuries, and Marcell Ozuna was away from the team (and soon to be put on administrative leave by the league) due to domestic violence charges.

However, the Braves were far from done.  An aggressive trade strategy saw outfielders Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, and future NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario all added prior to the trade deadline, and Atlanta went 36-18 the rest of the way.  A lackluster NL East undoubtedly helped, but the Braves kept it going into October, defeating the Brewers in the NLDS and then ousting the defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS.  That last win was particularly sweet for Atlanta, considering the blown 3-1 lead against Los Angeles in the 2020 League Championship Series.

The Astros had a bit of an easier time of it in the regular season, battling with the A’s and Mariners for the AL West lead for much of the year but eventually pulling ahead in comfortable fashion.  Even without such familiar names as George Springer or Justin Verlander, Houston could still rely on several core members (i.e. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel) of its last two pennant winners, plus a pitching staff that has been almost entirely overhauled since the Astros were last in the World Series in 2019.

This will be the fourth time the Astros have reached the Fall Classic, with Houston’s lone championship coming back in 2017.  As you might have heard, there was more than a little controversy attached to the Astros’ success in 2017, so it’s safe to say that another championship won’t erase the “buzzers and garbage cans” cloud that may hang over the franchise for some time to come.  Yet, that hardly matters to a group that has turned over a great number of its personnel since that 2017 season.  Dusty Baker, for instance, has been manager for just the last two years, and it’s hard to not feel some sentiment for the veteran skipper trying to win the first World Series of his long managerial career.

Who is your pick to win it all?  And, as an added bonus, how many games will be required?  (poll link for app users)

Latest On Dusty Baker

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Dusty Baker is headed back to the World Series, after the veteran manager’s Astros triumphed over the Red Sox in the ALCS.  This is the sixth time Baker has been part of the Fall Classic as a player (winning with the Dodgers in 1981), coach, and manager, and he is the ninth manager to lead both an American League and a National League team to a league pennant.  While capping off his managerial career with a championship would seem like a storybook ending, Baker isn’t planning to retire even if the Astros win it all, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Back in December, Baker was somewhat non-committal about his future with Houston, saying “Depends how I feel. Depends on how the team feels about me….You never know what changes are going to come about in life.”  More recently, however, Baker has stated that he does want to keep managing into 2022 and perhaps beyond.  Rosenthal writes that Baker would love to collect the 13 more regular-season victories he needs to reach 2000 wins for his managerial career, and obviously Baker has interest in helping guide the Astros to another run at the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2022.

Baker’s contract with the Astros is up after the season, as he was originally signed to a one-year deal with a 2021 club option year.  Both Baker and team management has indicated that they will hold off on negotiations until after the year, though Baker has a pretty notable supporter in Astros owner Jim Crane.  Talking with FOX 26’s Mark Berman, Crane reiterated that the two sides will talk after the playoffs are over, but said “Dusty deserves another shot for next year.  We’ll see where it goes.”

Given all of the success Baker has enjoyed in his two seasons in Houston, it would count as a surprise at this point if the 72-year-old isn’t back on the bench next season.  That said, there wasn’t much normal about the circumstances of Baker’s hiring in the first place, as the veteran skipper was brought on to replace the fired A.J. Hinch in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.  Crane personally hired Baker as manager even before the hiring of new general manager James Click, and most GMs would prefer to have their own managerial hire in place.  Crane would obviously have the final say-so if he made a point of retaining Baker, though the owner has said that he and Click will mutually decide on Baker’s future.

How The Astros Built Their AL Championship Team

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The Astros will be playing in the World Series for the third time in five seasons, though only six players remain from that 2017 championship team, and only four of that group (minus the injured Lance McCullers Jr. and the non-rostered Marwin Gonzalez) actually appeared in Houston’s ALCS victory over the Red Sox.  While the Astros continue to rely on some familiar cornerstones of that controversial 2017 team, there has been quite a bit of roster overhaul over a relatively short period of time, not to mention a new manager and GM in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.

Proving that there is no one way to design a great team, the Astros used several different methods of transactions to collect their players.  Perhaps just as importantly, the Astros have been able to retain key talents through contract extensions, or by re-signing players once they reach free agency.  Here is the breakdown of how the Astros built their latest pennant winner….

Homegrown, international signings: Jose Altuve (2007), Framber Valdez (2015), Jose Urquidy (2015), Cristian Javier (2015), Luis Garcia (2017)

Landing a franchise second baseman, three members of a starting rotation, and a key swingman via the international signing market is impressive enough.  But, the Astros’ feat stands out even more considering that none of these five players were considered blue-chip prospects at the time of their signings, and were signed for merely thousands of dollars.

Altuve’s legend is well-known by this point, as the diminutive second baseman was inked for a modest $15K bonus and has now become a Houston sports icon.  The savings extended into Altuve’s first multi-year deal (a four-year pact worth $12.5MM in guaranteed money plus club options for 2018 and 2019) but Altuve then scored a much bigger payday with his second extension, a five-year/$151MM pact that runs through the 2024 campaign.

Going forward, the Astros’ international investment in their pitching corps might be an even more important overall development than landing Altuve.  Valdez, Urquidy, Garcia, and Javier combined for a 3.38 ERA over 498 1/3 innings, and all four pitcher are controlled through at least the 2025 season.  The quartet has already become an integral part of one contending team, and considering the veteran losses the Astros could face in free agency this offseason, Houston can feel some level of comfort in already having a new wave of arms already in place.

Homegrown, amateur draft: Jason Castro (2008 draft, first round, 10th pick), Carlos Correa (2012 draft, 1-1), Alex Bregman (2015, 1-2), Kyle Tucker (2015, 1-5), Jake Meyers (2017, 13-391), Chas McCormick (2017, 21-631).

Let’s begin with the caveat of Castro, who began his career in Houston through the lean years of the team’s rebuild, but left for the Twins as a free agent in the 2016-17 offseason — just before the Astros broke through to reach the Fall Classic.  Castro returned to Houston this past winter, signing a two-year, $7MM free agent contract.

There is also McCullers (the 41st overall pick of the 2012 draft), a huge part of the Astros’ regular season success in 2021 but whose postseason has been marred and possibly ended by injury.  Brandon Bielak (2017, 11-331) also threw 50 innings mostly as a reliever in 2021, but hasn’t been included on Houston’s postseason rosters.

Center field was seen as a weak link for the Astros in the wake of George Springer’s departure in free agency, yet the team ended up getting very solid production from Myles Straw for much of the season, and then from the rookie tandem of Meyers and McCormick when Straw was dealt at the trade deadline.  Meyers is another injury absence from the ALCS, so McCormick and Jose Siri look to be handling center field duties during the World Series.

That leaves the three gems of the Astros’ extensive rebuild, as the club made no pretense about its intent to bottom out with multiple losing seasons in order to restock with premium young talent at the top of the draft.  Hard as it may seem now, but Correa was actually seen as a bit of a surprise as the first overall pick in 2012, as the Astros took a more “signable” player so they could spread out their draft bonus money on other picks.  With both Correa and McCullers developing into stars, that plan worked to perfection.

Tanking for multiple years gave Houston multiple chances to score on high draft picks, which is why the Astros haven’t really suffered any consequences for drafting consecutive 1-1 picks (Mark Appel in 2013, Brady Aiken in 2014) who didn’t reach the majors.  Indeed, after not reaching an agreement with Aiken due to concerns over his UCL health, the Astros received the second overall pick in the 2015 draft as compensation.  The result was the selection of both Bregman and Tucker within the first five picks, which stands out as one of the more impressive first-round hauls in recent memory.

International free agent signings: Yuli Gurriel (July 2016)

While Altuve and company turned out to be incredible bargains on the international amateur market, the Astros had to pay Gurriel $47.5MM on a five-year deal, outbidding several teams for the Cuban star as he made the jump to Major League Baseball.  Gurriel didn’t make his big league debut until he was 32 years old, and while there has been some inconsistency along the way, Gurriel has proven to be a very solid contributor, with a .293/.337/.467 slash line over 2721 career plate appearances in The Show.

Despite a lackluster 2020 season, Gurriel still received a contract extension in late September 2020, giving Houston control over Gurriel in 2021 (for a $6.5MM salary) and 2022 (a club option worth $8MM, with a $500K buyout).  The extension surprised many at the time, though it has proven to be one of GM James Click’s canniest moves, as Gurriel rebounded with the best season of his six-year MLB career and won the AL batting title.  Unsurprisingly, Astros owner Jim Crane has already implied that Gurriel will be back with the team via that club option.

Free agent signings: Michael Brantley, Jake Odorizzi, Ryne Stanek, Jose Siri

Brantley signed a two-year, $32MM deal to join the Astros in the 2018-19 offseason, and then re-signed with the club for that exact same contract this past winter.  While Brantley missed some time with relatively minor injuries this season, he has still been a productive hitter, adding to the success of his overall tenure in Houston.  Brantley has hit .310/.367/.474 with 35 home runs over 1332 PA in an Astros uniform, twice receiving All-Star nods.

The Marlins non-tendered Stanek (rather than pay him a projected $800K) in the wake of a mediocre 2020 performance.  The Astros swooped in with a $1.1MM deal and ended up landing a controllable reliever who bounced back pretty nicely with a 3.42 ERA and 28.6% strikeout rate over 68 1/3 innings, though Stanek’s control and hard-contact numbers weren’t impressive.  Stanek has stood out as a workhorse in the playoffs, with a 1.35 ERA over eight appearances and 6 2/3 innings during Houston’s run.

Odorizzi was another signing from the most recent offseason, though Odorizzi didn’t sign his $23.5MM contract until March.  Between missing part of the usual Spring Training ramp-up and then suffering multiple injuries, Odorizzi’s innings were managed for much of the season, though he did contribute a 4.21 ERA over 104 2/3 frames.  Thus far in the postseason, Odorizzi has only pitched in one game, tossing four innings in relief of Garcia in the Astros’ 9-5 loss to the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALCS.

Siri was a minor league signing who had never played as much as a game in the majors until this past September 3, and now he’ll very likely to be headed to the World Series as Meyers’ replacement.  Siri played seven seasons in the Reds’ farm system (and was briefly a Mariner and a Giant via waiver claims) before signing with the Astros this past winter, and he posted a .956 OPS in his first 49 PA as a big leaguer.

Trades: Justin Verlander hasn’t thrown a pitch this season due to Tommy John surgery, and his tenure with the Astros could be over if he signs elsewhere in free agency this winter.  Verlander is certainly worthy of mention, of course, given his huge role in the 2017 World Series after the Astros nabbed him from the Tigers on August 31, 2017, and how Verlander then re-upped with Houston on a two-year, $66MM extension.  (Unfortunately, Verlander has thrown only six innings over the course of that extension.)

Beyond the injured Verlander, ten players on the ALCS roster were acquired via trade…

  • Yordan Alvarez: As this section indicates, the Astros are no strangers to notable deals at the trade deadline.  However, this one from 2016 drew only a little attention at the time, yet picking up Alvarez from the Dodgers for reliever Josh Fields has turned out to be one of the steals of the decade.  Alvarez has looked like one of baseball’s best hitters when healthy, and just earned ALCS MVP honors for his huge series against Boston.
  • Zack Greinke: Completed just under the buzzer at the 2019 trade deadline, Houston acquired Greinke from the Diamondback for a four-prospect package of J.B. Bukauskas, Josh Rojas, Corbin Martin, and Seth Beer.  Rojas was the least-regarded of the four youngsters at the time, though he has gone on to enjoy the most success thus far at the big league level.  Greinke has been mostly solid, if generally not quite up to his past ace-level performance during his two-plus seasons in Houston, and his strikeout rate took a big dip in 2021.  While Greinke tossed 171 innings, some injuries late in the season has turned him into something of a depth arm on the playoff roster, as Greinke has thrown only 2 1/3 innings this postseason.
  • Martin Maldonado: A two-time trade acquisition, the Astros first landed Maldonado from the Angels a few days’ prior to the 2018 deadline, then brought him back on deadline day 2019 after Maldonado had played with the Royals and Cubs earlier that season.  Maldonado has become a Houston fixture, as the team has signed him to a pair of contract extensions that will keep him in the fold until at least the end of the 2022 season.
  • Aledmys Diaz: The versatile Diaz has been a valuable utility piece for the Astros since being acquired from the Blue Jays in November 2018.
  • Ryan Pressly: The right-hander was already an underrated reliever during his time with the Twins, but he took it to another level after the Astros landed him in a July 2018 trade.  Pressly signed an extension prior to the 2019 season that now stands as a three-year, $27.5MM deal after Pressly unlocked a vesting option to guarantee his salary for 2022 season — a $10MM price the Astros are surely happy to cover given how well Pressly has pitched.
  • Basically The Entire Bullpen: The Pressly trade is the headline move, and Houston has generally looked to the trade market in assembling its relief corps.  Blake Taylor was acquired as part of the Jake Marisnick trade with the Mets in December 2019, while fellow southpaw Brooks Raley was picked up from the Reds in August 2020.  The Astros targeted bullpen help in three separate trades near this year’s deadline, including the surprising acquisition of Kendall Graveman and (the now-injured) Rafael Montero from the AL West rival Mariners.  The emergence of McCormick and Meyers gave the Astros enough comfort to trade Straw to the Indians for Phil Maton, as well as another young outfielder in Bryan De La Cruz and a swingman in Austin Pruitt to the Marlins for Yimi Garcia.  Graveman has been the best of the new faces in both the regular season and playoffs, while Maton has added some key innings in the postseason.

Lance McCullers Jr. Still Not Throwing; Jake Meyers Likely Out Remainder Of ALCS

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The Astros are one win from returning to the World Series, but if they advance, it looks increasingly possible that they’ll do so without the benefit of top starter Lance McCullers Jr. Manager Dusty Baker announced to reporters today that there’s no change with McCullers, who was ruled out for the ALCS (Twitter link via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale). The right-hander has not yet resumed throwing, which does not bode well for his World Series availability.

There’s similarly pessimistic news on center fielder Jake Meyers. The Astros aren’t replacing the promising rookie outfielder on the roster, but he’s unlikely to play again this series, according to Baker (via FOX 26’s Mark Berman). He could be available as a pinch-hitting or pinch-running option, however, and removing him from the roster mid-series would rule Meyers out for a potential World Series return. (Players removed from a postseason roster are ineligible to return for one full round  of play.) Meyers has been batting a shoulder injury and recently had a setback.

Formally losing McCullers would be a tough blow for an Astros club that has rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to take a 3-2 series lead over the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. McCullers exited after four innings in Houston’s decisive Game 4 victory over the White Sox in the American League Division Series after revealing to the team that he’d experienced forearm discomfort.

McCullers underwent an MRI after the fact, and while the team hasn’t provided a formal diagnosis, it’s said to be a muscular issue rather than a structural issue (i.e. ligament damage). While McCullers was not included on the ALCS roster, there was at least hope that he’d be able to return should Houston qualify for a World Series showdown against either the Dodgers or the Braves.

If it indeed proves that McCullers can’t return, Houston’s options in his absence include Framber Valdez, Zack Greinke, Jake Odorizzi, Cristian Javier and rookie Luis Garcia — the latter of whom will get the nod in Game 6, according to Baker.

McCullers, 28, signed a five-year, $85MM extension in Spring Training, forgoing a potential run at free agency. He responded with a career-high 28 starts and 162 1/3 innings, pitching to a 3.16 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate along the way.

Injury Notes: Grandal, Muncy, McCullers

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Yasmani Grandal recently underwent knee surgery, as the catcher himself relayed on Instagram, and passed along by The Athletic’s James Fegan. Fegan also says the club expects him to be ready to go for spring training.

Grandal spent almost two months on the IL this year due to a torn tendon in his knee, although it didn’t seem to hamper him at the plate at all. In 93 games, he hit .240/.420/.520, for a wRC+ of 159, easily the highest of his career. His defensive numbers trended downward in 2021, though that’s not terribly surprising given how important healthy knees are for a catcher. The switch-hitter is guaranteed $36.5MM over the next two years, making his recovery from this procedure incredibly important for the White Sox as they look to build on back-to-back postseason appearances.

More injury notes…

  • Max Muncy brought out the lineup card for tonight’s NLCS game four matchup against Atlanta and didn’t appear to be wearing a brace on his injured left elbow, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. This would seem to indicate at least some superficial progress, given that Muncy was using the brace even while sleeping as recently as three days ago. The narrative around Muncy’s return figures to continue for as long as the Dodgers’ season is still alive. He hit 36 home runs this year, a personal best, on his way to slashing .249/.368/.527. His wRC+ of 140 on the campaign placed him in the top 15 among qualified hitters in all of baseball. He has missed the entirety of the playoffs so far after being injured in a collision with Jace Peterson on the final day of the regular season.
  • Similar to Muncy, the status of Lance McCullers Jr. figures to be an ongoing question as long as the Astros are still playing. The latest update comes from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who says McCullers is “seen as not likely” to pitch in the World Series, should the Astros qualify. Since this bout of elbow tightness put the righty on the shelf, the Astros’ rotation has been shaky in his absence. Through the first four games of the ALCS, no Houston starter lasted longer than 2 2/3 innings. However, game five saw Framber Valdez turn that ship around by throwing eight innings of one-run ball. McCullers threw 162 1/3 excellent innings this year, with an ERA of 3.16, 27% strikeout rate and 56.4% ground ball rate. He then threw 10 2/3 innings in the ALDS with an ERA of 0.84 before landing on the shelf.

Astros’ Jake Meyers Has Injury Setback

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Though Jake Meyers was included on the Astros’ ALCS roster, he has yet to return to action since suffering a shoulder injury in Game 4 of the ALDS.  Fresh doubt has now been cast on Meyers’ status for the rest of the series and perhaps the rest of the postseason, as Houston manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart) that Meyers suffered a setback and “was actually worse” health-wise yesterday, following a few days of seemingly progressing towards a return.

Meyers made a leaping attempt at a Gavin Sheets home run in the second inning of the Astros’ ALDS clincher against the White Sox, and after colliding with the wall, Meyers left the field with obvious discomfort in his left arm.  The Astros felt good enough about Meyers’ condition to put him on the ALCS roster, except since his shoulder problem was a pre-existing injury, Baker noted that the team now isn’t allowed to replace Meyers for the remainder of this series with the Red Sox.

Removing a player mid-playoff series due to injury means that player is ineligible for the following round, though even if Houston advances past Boston to reach the World Series, it would seem like Meyers might not be an option for the Fall Classic roster.  In the interim, Baker may have one less position player at his disposal for the rest of the ALCS.

The center field tandem of Meyers and Chas McCormick was a boon for the Astros in the regular season, as the two rookies delivered very strong defense and solid (107 OPS+) offense after Myles Straw was dealt to the Indians at the trade deadline.  Jose Siri, another rookie, has assumed Meyers’ part-time duties, starting in center field both in Game 3 of the ALCS and in today’s Game 5.  To his credit, Siri also hit well over the first 49 plate appearances of his big league career, and Meyers’ sample size (163 PA in the majors) isn’t much larger.

Latest On Luis Garcia, Jake Meyers

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  • Right knee discomfort forced Luis Garcia out of yesterday’s ALCS Game 2 in the second inning, though the Astros right-hander appears to have avoided serious injury.  Manager Dusty Baker told FOX 26’s Mark Berman (Twitter links) and other reporters that Garcia threw a bullpen session today, and the righty himself said “I feel really good, and I think whenever they say it’s time for me to get back on the mound I’ll be good to go.”  It isn’t known when Garcia might be able to pitch again, or if he’d be used in a starting or a relief capacity.  Garcia only threw 33 pitches in Game 2, but was also torched for five runs on three walks and two hits, including a J.D. Martinez grand slam.
  • Baker also told Berman and other media that Jake Meyers was throwing today, and the outfielder is doing better in the wake of his left shoulder injury from Game 4 of the ALDS.  Meyers collided with the outfield wall in pursuit of a Gavin Sheets home run and had to leave the field in the second inning.  The Astros included Meyers on their ALCS roster though he has yet to make an appearance against the Red Sox.

Astros’ Luis Garcia Leaves ALCS Game 2 Due To Right Knee Discomfort

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5:06PM: Garcia left the game due to discomfort in his right knee, the Astros announced.

4:34PM: Astros starter Luis Garcia made an early exit from Game 2 of the ALCS, leaving with a possible injury in the second inning.  After issuing a four-pitch walk to Kevin Plawecki to begin the frame, Garcia was visited on the mound by the team trainer, and ended up departing after consultation with manager Dusty Baker and pitching coach Brent Strom.

It has already been a nightmarish day for Garcia, who allowed four runs in the first inning thanks to a J.D. Martinez grand slam.  Only 14 of Garcia’s 33 pitches were strikes, continuing the control problems that plagued his first postseason start — Garcia allowed three walks and five hits in 2 2/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS, a 12-6 Astros loss to the White Sox.

The 24-year-old Garcia entered the playoffs on the heels of a quality rookie season that will surely net him some AL Rookie Of The Year consideration.  The right-hander posted a 3.30 ERA/3.91 SIERA and above-average strikeout (26.4%) and walk (7.9%) rates over 155 1/3 innings for Houston this season, starting 28 of his 30 games.

That solid form hasn’t continued into October, however, and now Garcia could be in danger of missing the World Series.  If Garcia’s injury requires him to be substituted off Houston’s roster, Garcia would be ineligible to pitch for the next postseason round, should the Astros advance past the Red Sox.

The other major concern for the Astros is that if Garcia is seriously hurt, the team is running short on pitching.  Lance McCullers Jr. (flexor pronator muscle strain) is already an omission from the ALCS roster and might not even be an option for the World Series if the Astros make it.  Game 1 starter Framber Valdez lasted only 2 2/3 innings, requiring a big effort from Houston’s bullpen to salvage the victory.  Jake Odorizzi took over for Garcia in relief, so the veteran’s availability for future games might be in question depending on how long he pitches today.

Jose Urquidy is scheduled to start Game 3 at Fenway Park, and Odorizzi’s usage today likely means that either Cristian Javier or Zack Greinke (who has been used as a reliever this postseason) will be starting Game 4.  With the red-hot Boston lineup hitting everything in sight, the Astros pitching staff faces a tall order for the remainder of the ALCS.

Scandal Shouldn't Slow Carlos Correa In Free Agency

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  • Despite his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and the negative public sentiment that’s followed him since, expect Carlos Correa to cash in big this winter, writes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. MLBTR agrees, having placed him atop the free agent rankings back in August. Indeed, Correa has been the face of the Astros post-scandal, and even that could be construed as a positive for his next club. His talent is unquestioned, and he has certainly proved that he can withstand just about any level of public criticism.
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