(Audacy) For the second consecutive offseason, star shortstop Carlos Correa is one of the most intriguing position players on the free-agent market.
Following a career-year with the Houston Astros in 2021 that saw him post a 6.2 WAR, Correa hoped to land a decade-long deal when he hit free agency last winter.
The Texas Rangers chose to offer shortstop Corey Seager a 10-year, $325-million deal, which he accepted. Despite many believing Correa was the top free agent entering the offseason, the best offer he got was a 10-year, $275-million deal from the Detroit Tigers, which he didn't jump at. Ultimately, Correa ended up signing a three-year, $105.3-million deal with the Minnesota Twins, one that included opt-outs after each season.
While he didn't have as many RBI opportunities, Correa's overall offensive production in 2022 was pretty similar to his final season in Houston.
2021: .279/.366/.485 with 26 home runs, 92 RBIs, 75 walks and an .834 OPS
2022: .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs, 64 RBIs, 61 walks and an .834 OPS
However, Correa didn't duplicate his defensive production from 2021, when he won both a Gold Glove among American League shortstops and a Platinum Glove as the junior circuit's best overall defender.
2021: 20 defensive runs saved, 12 outs above average, 2.9 defensive WAR
2022: 3 defensive runs saved, -3 outs above average, 1.1 defensive WAR
Perhaps there will be a bounce-back for Correa in the field in 2023, especially if a team feels like the defensive positioning in Minnesota had something to do with the decline he had.
Regardless, Correa is a free once again after exercising his opt-out and now enters his age-28 campaign. A ton of teams would probably love to have the two-time All-Star, but here are five teams that could legitimately sign Correa.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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Early in free agency, there appears to be a lot of smoke surrounding the idea that Trea Turner could leave the Dodgers to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. In the event Turner isn't back in Los Angeles next season, top executive Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers can pick from the other three star free agents at the position: Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. The Dodgers view Correa as their 1A option if it doesn't work with Turner, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in October. Obviously, some Dodgers fans would have to set aside their distaste for anyone involved with the 2017 Astros team that defeated them in a seven-game World Series under questionable circumstances. The guess here is that once Correa was wearing Dodger blue, it would be pretty easy to get over any ill will from 2017, especially since Los Angeles has won a World Series title since and Correa would help put them in position to capture another.
Chicago Cubs
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Representatives of the Cubs already met with super-agent Scott Boras at the GM meetings recently, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. Boras represents both Correa and Bogaerts. After a miserable first half of the season, the Cubs went 39-31 (.557) after the All-Star break, a sign that a young team may be turning the corner. That may not necessarily mean that the Cubs will open 2023 as the favorites to win the NL Central, but Correa is young enough still to grow with the team. And who knows, as of now, the NL Central projects to be a pretty miserable division in 2023.
Minnesota Twins
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Correa seemed to take a liking to Minnesota in 2022, but you don't get the feeling that he's going to be giving the Twins a hometown discount. The Twins were willing to commit to Correa on a short-term basis with a high average annual value last winter when the market he hoped for didn't materialize. Whether they're going to be willing to do so for a decade, give or take, remains to be seen.
San Francisco Giants
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Finding a diamond in the rough is great, as is having a slew of veterans have career renaissances well into their 30s. The Giants had a magical season utilizing that formula in 2021, when they won a franchise-record 107 games. It didn't work out quite as well in 2022, when they slipped to an 81-81 record. At a certain point, San Francisco needs to attempt to match some of the star power in both Los Angeles and San Diego if it wants to be a consistent threat to win the NL West. The Giants would need to figure out a solution with franchise icon Brandon Crawford, who's an all-time great fielder at shortstop and has one year left on his contract. But for the right price, perhaps Correa or another star free agent could play elsewhere on the diamond for a season, as Brady Klopfer of McCovey Chronicles noted.
Baltimore Orioles
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The Orioles obviously erred in not ponying up the amount of money it would have taken to retain star third baseman Manny Machado for the entirety of his career, but that's distant history now. The good news in Baltimore is that an Orioles team full of young talent turned in a surprising 83-79 record in 2022, even in a loaded AL East. Orioles general manager Mike Elias was the amateur scouting director in Houston when the Astros selected Correa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. Perhaps he'll land Correa again this offseason if he has the clearance to make the biggest investment in franchise history.
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