Free agent Carlos Correa, Giants reach 13-year, $350M US deal: report
Contract would be largest for shortstop in MLB history
Star shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a 13-year, $350-million US contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.
CBC Sports has not independently verified the report.
Correa also was a free agent one year ago after leaving the Houston Astros, and he reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That agreement gave him the right to opt out after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again.
And the 28-year-old Correa indeed moved once more, this time to a Giants team that recently missed out in its bid to sign free agent Aaron Judge.
Correa's guarantee will be the fourth-largest in baseball history. Mike Trout got a 12-year contract worth $426.5 million with the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts has a 12-year, $365-million agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Judge, the new American League home run champ and MVP, is getting $360 million over nine years to remain with the New York Yankees pending a physical.
Correa was one of the headliners in a stellar group of free agent shortstops that also included Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson — Swanson is the only one in that group still available.
Correa got the latest big-money deal in a spending spree during the first off-season of baseball's new labour contract.
Giants searching for a shortstop of the future
Philadelphia signed Turner for $300 million over 11 years, San Diego got Bogaerts for $280 million over 11 years, Texas signed pitcher Jacob deGrom for $185 million over five years and the New York Mets retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo for $162 million for eight years.
Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in his one season with Minnesota.
Brandon Crawford, a three-time all-star, has been the Giants' shortstop since 2011. Crawford, who turns 36 next month, slumped to a .231 average with nine homers and 52 RBI last season, down from a .298 average with 24 homers and 90 RBI in 2021.
Crawford has a $16 million salary in 2023, then can become a free agent. He has dealt with injuries in recent seasons and might consider retirement at the conclusion of his deal, so the Giants were searching for a shortstop of the future.
The Giants went 81-81 last season, a year after posting a franchise-record 107 wins.
Correa was selected by Houston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, and he played a key role in the Astros' rise from the bottom of the AL West to the franchise's first World Series title in 2017.
He hit a career-best 26 homers in 2021 in his last year with Houston, also finishing with a .279 batting average and 92 RBIs. He earned his second all-star selection and first Gold Glove.
Just last weekend, Correa joined many of his former Astros teammates in Las Vegas for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event.
Correa, the 2015 AL rookie of the year, has a .279 career average with 155 homers and 553 RBI in eight big league seasons. He also has been a stellar post-season performer with 18 homers and 59 RBI in 79 games.
The Astros' 2017 championship was tainted by a sign-stealing scheme, and Correa has been lustily booed in some cities since the scandal surfaced.
Agent Scott Boras negotiated the deals for Correa, Bogaerts and Nimmo. Correa's agreement raised Boras' free-agent contracts this off-season to $1.01 billion for nine players.
