HOUSTON — Freddie Freeman and Carlos Correa are both headed towards free agency.
After the Braves defeated the Astros 7-0 in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night to win their first championship since 1995, it’s hard to imagine Freeman playing anywhere but Atlanta.
It’s nearly as difficult to picture Correa back in Houston, given his postgame comments.
Asked if it was on his mind that his ninth-inning single could be his final plate appearance with the Astros, Correa said: “It was the only thing going through my mind, to be honest. A lot of feelings, mixed emotions. I spent seven years with this club. Yeah, it was going through my mind for sure.”
Correa is the top free agent available this summer and appears to be out of Houston’s price range, which will put him in the middle of a bidding war that could involve a handful of teams — including the Yankees.
The 27-year-old shortstop said he didn’t want to negotiate with Houston once the regular season began, and Correa said the organization respected his wishes.
“Now that I’m a free agent, we’ll have a conversation and see how that goes,’’ Correa said, though he repeatedly referred to his time with the Astros in the past tense.
“To the [Houston] fans, I want to say thank you for your support,’’ Correa said. “My time here was amazing, the seven greatest years of my life. I got here as a boy, turned into a man, grew in this city, and the fans embraced me. So this has been my home. This is my home now.”
Freeman figures to have a different offseason after leading the Braves to the title.
Asked about hitting a home run in his final at-bat of the season, a seventh-inning solo blast, the first baseman smiled and said, “It means it’s gonna be a nice offseason. … I’m just glad I was able to contribute.”
Regarding his impending free agency, Freeman said: “I’ve been in the organization since 2007. I don’t know anything else. We’ll see what happens. I’m gonna soak this one in.”
As he becomes a free agent for the first time, Freeman closed out 2021 in style.
He capped the Braves’ improbable World Series title run with an RBI double in the fifth inning Tuesday before the homer in the seventh.
By the time he hit his fifth home run of the postseason, the sizable contingent of Braves fans on hand had already mostly taken over Minute Maid Park and were chanting, “Freddie, Freddie.”
As Freeman got to third base, he faced the visiting dugout and let out a scream, as many of his teammates danced on the field.
Freeman, 32, finished off another superb season with his first championship. He also contributed with three doubles in the postseason and can hit the open market as the most sought-after first baseman available.
The Yankees would no doubt be interested if they got a chance to sign the lefty-swinger, but they’ll likely never get the chance.
“I haven’t envisioned playing anywhere else because I haven’t gotten to that point yet,’’ Freeman said last Friday. “I’ve put on this uniform — since 2007 I got to put on a Braves uniform with the Gulf Coast League team. It’s all I’ve ever known. But it is a little weird that by next Sunday, Monday, I could be a free agent, which is very, very weird to me. It hasn’t hit me because I’m trying to put that off because of a little bit more important things at task right now.”
Freeman made sure that task was completed Tuesday and whatever his price tag was before this postseason, it likely has gone up with a World Series title on his résumé.
Freeman just finished an eight-year contract worth $135 million he received before the 2014 season. His next deal figures to pay him significantly more, in terms of average annual salary and the Dodgers — in addition to the Yankees — could come calling.
But as the clear face of the franchise, it’s harder than ever to envision Freeman anywhere but Atlanta.