The New York Mets have “had a dialogue” with the Houston Astros regarding shortstop Carlos Correa, according to Andy Martino of SNY.tv, who also iterated that nothing is “imminent.”

This comes just one day after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Astros were considering making Correa available for a trade as a means of resolving some payroll issues.

The defending American League champion Astros, facing mounting challenges with their payroll, almost certainly will not keep all of their stars long-term.

Among the ideas they have entertained in an attempt to alleviate their payroll crunch, according to major-league sources: A trade of shortstop Carlos Correa, the player they selected with the top pick of the 2012 draft.

No deal appears close, and the timing might not be right for such a move, considering that most teams are set at shortstop and Correa’s trade value is down. But at some point, the Astros will need to make difficult decisions, and Correa might be the odd man out.

Correa is still under control through 2021, but George Springer, Michael Brantley, and Brad Peacock will all be free agents after this season.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has also proved capable of playing shortstop, and Houston might look for one of their youngsters to shift to the hot corner as a result.

The Mets, meanwhile, could also dangle current shortstop Amed Rosario as well as controllable outfielders such as Dominic Smith as potential starters in any deal.

Correa is one of the better hitters in the game when healthy, but he has missed 192 games over the course of the last three years. He could be the odd man out in Houston as they look to restructure.