Correa open to longer deal if done soon
Astros shortstop can become a free agent at the end of the season
HOUSTON — If the Houston Astros want to sign shortstop Carlos Correa to a long-term contract, he says they need to do it before opening day.
“I feel so good, my body feels so great and I feel like I’m going to have such a great season that once the season starts, I don’t want to be involved with or distracted with those conversations,” Correa said Monday after the Astros held their first full-squad workout of the spring.
The Astros avoided arbitration with Correa, who can become a free agent at the end of the season, by signing him to a one-year, $11.7 million contract.
Correa has spent his entire career with the Astros after they selected him with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. He said he’d like to stay in Houston, but so far, the team hasn’t talked to him about an extension.
“There’s no talks right now about that,” he said. “Talks are nowhere right now. I leave that up to my agent and the organization, but right now, there’s no talks about it. I haven’t heard from them since the arbitration was settled. That’s where we are right now.”
If Correa does hit the free agent market, he’ll do it with a strong group of shortstops that could include Javier Báez, Francisco Lindor, Trevor Story and Corey Seager. Correa will be just 27 years old when he’s eligible for free agency if he doesn’t agree to an extension with the Astros.
PUJOLS: Albert Pujols’ wife apparently disclosed that the Los Angeles Angels slugger intends to retire after the upcoming season, although she later amended her social media post to be less definitive.
The 41-year-old Pujols, a three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star, reported to spring training with the Angels on Monday.
In a post on her Instagram account later in the day, Deidre Pujols wrote: “Today is the first day of the last season of one of the most remarkable careers in sports!” Shortly afterward, she amended the statement with a parenthetical “based on his contract.”
Pujols’ 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels ends after this season, his 21st in the majors. But the fifth-leading home run hitter in major league history has repeatedly declined to say whether this season will be his last.
CLIPPARD: The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $2.25 million, one-year contract with reliever Tyler Clippard, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The agreement was reached on Monday and confirmed to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical. The deal includes a $1.75 million salary this year and a $3.5 million mutual option for 2022 with a $500,000 buyout.
ATHLETICS: Right-hander Trevor Rosenthal finalized an $11 million, one-year contract with Oakland on Monday, providing manager Bob Melvin with a new reliable ninthinning option after former closer Liam Hendriks’ departure in free agency.
Rosenthal’s deal includes $8 million that is deferred without interest, payable in installments of $3 million on Jan. 14, 2022, and $5M on Jan. 13, 2023.