The Giants won out in the Carlos Correa sweepstakes, agreeing to a massive 13-year, $350 million deal with the star shortstop, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand late Tuesday night. The deal has no opt-out and a full no-trade clause. The club has not confirmed the move.
Earlier in the evening, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Mets were entering the fray for Correa, likely driving the Giants to move quickly to get this deal done. The Twins were also among the final teams involved in talks.
When Correa opted out of the final two years of the three-year, $105.3 million deal he signed with the Twins before the 2022 season, it came as no surprise, because he’d been clear all along that he was looking for a long-term commitment to — and from — a franchise that he could call home and help to develop for the remainder of his career.
He didn’t find that in Minnesota — but he has now found that home in San Francisco.
On the field, he was the same, steady Correa who anchored the left side of Houston’s infield for the first seven seasons of his career — and, in some ways, better. In the difficult hitting environment of ’22, he posted his highest batting average since 2017, hitting .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 24 doubles, helping him match last year’s offensive bWAR of 5.2.
And even as part of a loaded shortstop class that also featured Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts (with Swanson the last one yet unsigned), Correa’s bat stood out, as he led all qualified shortstops in wRC+ last season.
In fact, Correa’s 39.5 career WAR marks the sixth most in AL/NL history by a primary shortstop through his first eight career seasons — just behind Nomar Garciaparra and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. He’s on quite the impressive career path — and he’s still only 28, with plenty of his prime remaining.
Correa’s tenure in Houston was marked by concerns about his ability to stay on the field, but he has averaged 142 games played in the past two seasons, with his tenure in Minnesota only interrupted by two freak occurrences — a bout of COVID-19 and a bruised finger sustained on a hit-by-pitch.
But even considering all that, the on-field component only proved a shadow of his true value — as the Twins quickly discovered. An analytical and probing mind with natural charisma, Correa quickly became the leader of the Minnesota clubhouse, able to connect with the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking sides of the team alike and earning respect for his attitude and preparation.
Even knowing he might only be with the Twins for one year, Correa took an interest in all aspects of the organization’s long-term future — from developing younger players, to actively coaching the defense around him while manning shortstop, to expressing his desires to management and the front office about acquisitions and team composition come Trade Deadline time.
Now, with the Giants, he’ll seek a similarly prominent voice as a cornerstone player of the future — and he’ll be around to see it through.