SAN FRANCISCO — Carlos Correa’s megadeal with the Giants appears to have fallen through, as the All-Star shortstop agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with the Mets late Tuesday night, according to a report from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
It’s a stunning turn of events for the Giants, who had been planning to introduce Correa during a press conference at Oracle Park on Tuesday morning after reportedly agreeing to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the prized free agent last week.
But three hours before the press conference was scheduled to take place, the Giants sent out a one-sentence release saying the event had been postponed. Correa’s scheduled appearance with the club’s flagship radio station, KNBR 680, was canceled, as well.
The Giants did not provide a reason for the delay, but a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the team was “waiting on results” for unspecified tests. Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported that a medical issue was flagged during Correa’s physical, which took place on Monday.
When reached for comment earlier Tuesday, a Giants spokesperson said the organization had no additional information to provide.
Per Heyman, the Giants and Correa’s camp had a “difference of opinion” on the results of the physical, prompting agent Scott Boras to consummate a new deal with Mets owner Steve Cohen. In New York, Correa will likely slide over to play third base, joining fellow Puerto Rican star Francisco Lindor on the left side of the Mets’ infield.
Correa, 28, dealt with back issues earlier in his career, but he’s averaged 142 games played in the past two seasons, with his one-year Twins tenure interrupted only by two freak occurrences — a bout of COVID-19 and a bruised finger sustained on a hit-by-pitch.
The Giants, who never officially announced Correa’s deal, have now lost their top two free-agent targets to New York, as they tried hard for Aaron Judge before he agreed to re-sign with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million deal. It’s unclear where they’ll pivot to now, as most of the top free agents are off the board at this stage in the offseason.