In a shocking, late-night development, Carlos Correa has shunned the Giants and quickly agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the New York Mets, the New York Post reported late Tuesday night.
The stunning news came just hours after the Giants abruptly called off a scheduled press conference to introduce the superstar shortstop as the new face of their franchise once the team reportedly noticed an issue with Correa’s physical.
Breaking: Carlos Correa and the Mets have a deal. $315M, 12 years.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 21, 2022
Jon Heyman of the Post reported Correa’s deal with the Mets on Twitter, saying the Giants and Correa’s representatives had a disagreement on the medical report. The difference of opinions ultimately paved the way for Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, to quickly make a deal with deep-pocketed Mets owner Steve Cohen.
“We needed one more thing, and this was it,” Cohen told Heyman about his ultra-talented and expensive club whose payroll for next season was just over $282 million even before Correa’s reported deal. The Mets have such a loaded roster that Correa will move to third base in New York because the Mets already have four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Last week the Giants agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with Correa that would have made the 28-year-old the second highest-paid free agent in MLB history and given San Francisco their biggest star since Barry Bonds.
Losing Correa is a crushing blow for the Giants, who two weeks ago appeared to have a real shot of signing Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to a massive deal until he decided to stay in New York.
Last week the Giants agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with Correa that would have made the 28-year-old the second highest-paid free agent in MLB history and given San Francisco their biggest star since Barry Bonds.
Correa, who signed a three-year, $105.3 million deal to leave Houston for Minnesota last offseason, opted out of the contract and became a free agent after just one season. Correa had a standout season for the Twins in 2022, hitting .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs over 136 games and was one of four elite free-agent shortstops on the open market.
Trea Turner wound up going to the Phillies, Xander Bogaerts to the Padres and Dansby Swanson to the Cubs.
About the only good news for Giants fans coming out of this drastic turn of events is that fan favorite Brandon Crawford, the greatest shortstop in San Francisco history, should return to the same spot he’s manned the past 12 years.
Tuesday was supposed to be the celebration of the Giants finally securing their much-needed star. That all changed three hours before a late-morning press conference when the team delivered a cryptic, seven-word news alert to the media: “Today’s Giants press conference has been postponed.”
The Giants were already facing a drastic talent deficit when compared to their division rivals the Dodgers and Padres, with Correa now out of the picture the remaining options in free agency won’t fill their need for top-end talent.
The best free agents still unsigned include outfielder Michael Conforto, first baseman/outfielder Will Myers, utilityman Jurickson Profar and designated hitter Trey Mancini. All of whom have some real appeal. None of whom will move the needle in the direction San Francisco needs it to go.
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