Carlos Correa: "Eight teams are said to be pursuing superstar shortstop" according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman
Shortstop Carlos Correa, a free agent this offseason after playing 2022 with the Minnesota Twins, is on the radar of, at least, eight teams, according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman.
"Eight teams are said to be pursuing superstar shortstop Carlos Correa," Heyman wrote in the New York Post.
The San Francisco Giants are one of 8 teams who are in contract negotiations with Twins free agent Shortstop Carlos Correa, per Jon Heyman.
#SFGiants https://t.co/WeE9f3MAl3
The San Francisco Giants are one of 8 teams who are in contract negotiations with Twins free agent Shortstop Carlos Correa, per Jon Heyman. - @report_sfgiants
Correa is one of several premier shortstops to have hit the free agent market this autumn. He joins a list of big names, such as Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson, who could all switch teams if the money is right.
Is Carlos Correa the pick of the free agent shortstop crop?
Correa, a seven-year MLB veteran, played for the Twins last season after spending his first six major-league campaigns with the Houston Astros. He hit .291 with the Twins in 2022, the second-best batting average of his big-league career, to go with 22 home runs.
"Turner is beloved for his speed-power combo, but some insiders believe Correa, who’s better defensively, has a bigger postseason track record, is younger and has no draft-choice compensation attached, will actually get the bigger deal," Heyman wrote in the Post.
Among the teams interested in Correa, according to Heyman, are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Twins.
The Red Sox and Braves could turn to Correa if they are unable to sign their own free agent shortstops, Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, respectively.
Likewise, the Dodgers may decide that Correa is an upgrade over Turner, who turned down a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer from the team in mid-November.
Twins "expected to go hard" to retain Carlos Correa
However, Heyman notes that the Twins "are expected to go hard to keep their star."
According to LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins have already made multiple overtures to Correa. Neal reports that Minnesota has submitted contracts varying in length of six to 10 years. Correa opted out after the first season of a three-year, $105.3 million deal he signed with the Twins last offseason.
Twins Have Reportedly Made Multiple Offers To Carlos Correa mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/twins-… https://t.co/hKmJxw267i
Twins Have Reportedly Made Multiple Offers To Carlos Correa - @mlbtraderumors
Heyman notes that Correa is "shooting at least early for a record total contract" on par with the 10-year, $275 million offer by the Detroit Tigers that he turned down before signing with the Twins. The Tigers have not been reported to be connected to Correa this time around after turning to shortstop Javy Baez last winter.