'Who knows?': Correa open to return in '22

SEATTLE -- With the regular season now in its final month, shortstop Carlos Correa’s time with the Astros could be winding down. Correa, one of five remaining members from the 2017 World Series championship club, will be a free agent at the end of the season, though he hasn’t ruled out returning to Houston.

Correa told the Astros in the spring that he didn’t want to negotiate a contract extension during the regular season. This came after he said he turned down extension offers of six years, $120 million and later five years, $125 million. He said recently there have been no talks with the Astros since.

“I was very clear that once the season started, I didn’t want to have any conversations,” Correa said. “Obviously, they respected that. We’ll see once the season is over. We’ll see where we’re at.”

The Astros will undoubtedly make a run to re-sign Correa in the offseason, but he figures to have a handful of teams throwing money at him. That will make it more difficult for the Astros to meet his salary demands. Still, Correa says the door is still open to him staying in Houston beyond 2021.

“You never know, man,” he said. “Obviously, I do not have a contract with the Astros for next year. Who knows? If they want to keep me here, I’ll be happy to stay here. If they don’t see me here long term, I’ll go play for somebody else. That decision is out of my hands. The only thing that’s in my hands is the way I perform on the field and the way I help my team win ballgames.”

Correa admitted he will get a bit sentimental as the season winds down, knowing his time in front of the fans at Minute Maid Park could be ending.

“Oh, 100 percent,” he said. “Knowing that it’s my last year on the contract and I don’t know if I’m coming back, obviously I’m going to get sentimental, especially being at Minute Maid with the fans. We’ll see.”

Astros to help raise awareness for childhood cancer
Astros players and coaches joined the umpires and the rest of baseball on Wednesday in wearing gold ribbon decals and wristbands on Major League Baseball’s “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.” It’s held in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer to combine a visual and ceremonial demonstration of support for the cause with outreach to local hospitals treating young patients in their communities.

The Astros will host pregame ceremonies and display a gold childhood cancer awareness ribbon at Minute Maid Park during the Mariners series. Pregame and in-game activities will include local hospitals and pediatric cancer units that serve children and their families. Fundraising efforts on Sept. 10 will include the annual AT&T Sportsnet & Astros Foundation charity game, which is a full broadcast devoted to fundraising for childhood cancer efforts and nonprofit partners.