With Aaron Judge returning to the Bronx, with a captain C sewed onto his pinstripes, the Giants must pivot to the rest of the free agent market to salvage their offseason.
The most high-profile player remaining is shortstop Carlos Correa, a two-time All-Star and platinum glove winner.
MLB Network insider Jon Morosi joined Tolbert & Copes Wednesday afternoon to detail the Giants’ chances at landing Correa. Morosi had already reported that the Giants have been in touch with Correa’s agents.
“I think Correa is a very plausible scenario as we speak right now,” Morosi said on Tolbert & Copes. “I think there’s plenty of reasons to believe that could be a pairing that works for both sides.”
With Judge off the board and the Padres having signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts, the possible suitors for Correa are dwindling. The Giants have a clear need at improving their lineup and defense up the middle. The Chicago Cubs have also been aggressive this winter. Boston could look to replace Bogaerts. Minnesota will likely do everything it can to retain Correa.
Correa’s contract will likely stretch over $300 million. At 28 years old, he’s the youngest star available and plays a premium position.
After spending the first seven seasons of his career in Houston, Correa bet on himself by signing a short deal with Minnesota. Last year with the Twins, he shook off a slow start to hit .291 with a .834 OPS. He hit 22 homers and drove in 64 runs in 136 games.
Since 2015, when he won Rookie of the Year at 20 years old, Correa ranks 16th among position players in Fangraphs WAR.
“I’m not going to close the book on the Giants potentially getting a game-changing bat this summer,” Morosi said. “Because the needs for them are there and the supply still exists as well.”
In striking out on Judge, the Giants have extended their streak of failing to land a blockbuster free agent. They made a strong push for Bryce Harper in 2019, were in the running for Giancarlo Stanton in 2017, showed interest in Shohei Ohtani when he was posted and missed out on Seiya Suzuki last winter.
But Correa could change all that.
“I would not interpret the fact that Bryce Harper signed elsewhere or the fact that Judge signed elsewhere as evidence that the Giants have lost their allure as an organization to free agents,” Morosi said.
“The reality is, it’s hard to win a bidding for major free agents when you’ve got a lot of heavyweights involved. That’s exactly what happened Harper and that’s exactly what happened with Judge. And oh by the way in between, the Giants won well over 100 games in 2021. This is still a team I think players still want to join. I still believe, when you look at the pieces still on the board, whether it’s Brandon Nimmo, whether it’s Carlos Correa…there are still some very, very appealing players the Giants may well be able to add.”
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