After years of striking out on high-profile free agents, the Giants finally landed a big fish on Tuesday night. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, shortstop Carlos Correa has agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants.
Correa remained the biggest position player name available on the free agent market, after the Giants whiffed on guys like Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo and Xander Bogaerts. Giants fans also had to feel like bridesmaids in their failed pursuits for guys like Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani in recent years.
Farhan Zaidi finally broke out the checkbook and was able to lure a big star to The Bay, as Correa is just 28 years and appears to be in his prime at a key position. Correa slashed .291/.366/.485 with 22 homers, 64 RBIs and a 140 OPS+ in 136 games last season. He also won the American League Gold Glove at shortstop in 2021.
Correa bet on himself last season when he agreed to a one-year, $35.1 million contract with the Minnesota Twins after he didn’t get an offer up to his standards following a successful seven-year stint with the Houston Astros. Now Correa has the richest contract for any shortstop in baseball, bigger than Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million) and Fernando Tatis (14 years, $340 million).
The biggest risk on the Giants side is obviously the length of the contract, as it runs through 2035, when Correa will be 41 by the end of the season. He has only played at least 150 games in a season once in his eight-year career.
The move likely means a position change for longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford, who has been a constant at the position for the franchise since the end of the 2011 season. Crawford, 35, is still a capable defender and seems like he’d be able to play second or third base for the Giants this season, when he’s due to make $16 million in a contract year.
Correa joins a Giants free agent class that also includes outfielder Joc Pederson (one year, $19.65 million), outfielder Mitch Haniger (three years, $43.5 million), southpaw Sean Manaea (two years, $25 million) and right-hander Ross Stripling (two years, $25 million). In all, that’s more than $463 million worth of financial commitment from the Giants this offseason, which should infuse more confidence into the fanbase that was losing faith.
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