Welp. You all can cross 'Correa leaving' off the What Will Sink the Astros Dynasty board.
This is what I've figured out about supposed Evil Empires in sports. The ones that persist don't die off when you want them to, or when they logically should. The 90s Cowboys, for instance, kept lingering for a good decade or so afterwards before mellowing into the playoff inefficient punchline they are today. The Belichick-era Patriots are still very much a factor, and it remains to be seen if Mac Jones will dull this team's aim any. The Torre Yankee teams were factors even through a changing of the guard, and have still tried to claw their way back despite mixed results. I will admit to adding the Yankees there even if I don't hate them, cause I know a lot of people do. And even the current Lakers dynasty, a slight extension of the Kobe teams, isn't exactly counted out for the future, as something big could happen next year and they could be good again.
Which leads me to the Astros. I think these guys are gonna be hanging around the top of the standings for the long haul. Springer can leave, Correa can leave, Verlander can be injured for two years...it all does nothing. Because unlike other recent dynasties, the Astros actually have a really well-stocked farm system that can sustain them for the next several seasons.
Case in point- Jeremy Peña, sprouting up right when the Astros have a vacancy at shortstop that can't be filled simply with Aledmys Diaz. Pena has been gestating in the minors for only a few years, getting drafted in 2018 and waiting a few years for an opening, as the masses assumed their would be once Correa went past team control. In 4 games in the majors, Pena is already performing very well, hitting .375 with 6 hits, including his first career home run, which occurred right when the broadcast team was interviewing his parents in the stands. I despise the Astros, but I have to respect that.
Same with the outfield crew, guys like Chas McCormick and Jose Siri, both off to nice starts at the plate. McCormick got a lot of playing time in the second half last year, and could battle for a starting spot, though Siri does have some surprising punch to him after a while in the minors. All this while the bullpen has made Hector Neris work and Justin Verlander has been smooth as hell even at age 39. A lot is still working about this team, and the next stage of the team is capable of gelling with the elder statesman [Altuve, Bregman, Gurriel].
As infuriating as this is for me, you have to admire the baseball management that's made this happen.
Still, even if the Astros are ahead now, teams like the Angels, Mariners and Rangers could still chase after them. It will be a matter of keeping all of this momentum going and not buckling under their own pressure. Part of me kinda wants to see if they can do it.
Coming Tonight: I've somehow landed on a theme of taking over for legends. First Wisdom taking over for Bryant, then Pena taking over for Correa. Tomorrow, the guy who's taking over for Buster Posey.
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