There’s been plenty of speculation as to Carlos Correa’s next destination, and even as the lockout trudges on, some reporting on the interest he’s received to date. The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and incumbent Astros were all reported to have contacted Correa prior to the lockout, and in recent weeks, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Tigers had put forth a ten-year offer worth $275MM — presumably prior to signing Javier Baez to his six-year, $140MM contract. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago wrote yesterday that while there’s mutual interest with the Cubs, the team is loath to commit the length of contract Correa is seeking.
The length of contract Correa is set upon will obviously play a large role in where he ultimately signs. If he’s set on a deal of ten (or more) years in length, the Cubs and Astros seem to be out of the question. If he eventually is willing to take a slightly shorter deal, presumably with a massive annual value, it could open the door a bit further. Some suitors may yet may ramp up their interest or pivot to Correa if they miss out on larger target (e.g. Braves and Freddie Freeman) or if the luxury tax threshold rises substantially in the forthcoming collective bargaining agreement.
Given that he’s hitting the market in advance of his age-27 season, it’s not a surprise to see Correa eyeing deals of ten-plus years in length. And, now that Corey Seager has inked a 10-year deal for $325MM — joining Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. as shortstops with contracts of 10 or more years — Correa is surely hopeful of adding his own name to that prestigious group (if not besting all three in terms of total guarantee).
If the Yankees indeed plan to sit out the market for top shortstops, as has been reported, that’s a sizable blow to Correa’s market. Add that the Dodgers have an excellent in-house option already in Trea Turner and may not want to add a second $300MM contract to the books alongside Mookie Betts, and Correa may have to drum up some interest from teams that haven’t been publicly linked to him just yet.
The Phillies have a need at shortstop but appear more focused on center field and the bullpen. The Mets don’t seem like a fit in terms of roster composition, but owner Steve Cohen has shown a willingness to spend at a nearly unparalleled level. The Blue Jays reportedly pursued Seager before he signed in Texas; would they consider a legitimate pursuit of Correa in the wake of Marcus Semien’s departure? Could the Tigers follow the Rangers’ lead and shock baseball with a double-dip in the shortstop market? The Mariners haven’t been characterized as a suitor just yet, but they have the payroll space and are seeking an impact bat.
As the already slow news cycle winds down during the holiday season, let’s try to make our best guess both as to where Correa will sign and for how much in total dollars…
How large will Correa’s contract be? (poll link for Trade Rumors iOS/Android app users)
Where will Correa sign? (poll link for Trade Rumors iOS/Android app users)
I think the Yankees would be making a big mistake if the majority’s prediction is right.
Yankees always get the big name players and tie themselves to large contracts.
Not in years have they done that, except for Cole, which has worked out great.
So right. Haven’t done that since George passed. If he was alive imagine the size of the payroll.
Stanton wasn’t a big name?
That was 5 years ago now and wasn’t a free agent signing.
they still took on $300+ million. Wasn’t like they gave up top prospects and didn’t take on any $. It was 4 years btw.
Yes, that was before they signed Cole. They haven’t done anything like that since.
But they’ve traded for something like that – Stanton. Personally I doubt they sign him, but they could be intrigued as a Jeter position lock down who performs in the playoffs.
Yankees will always spend. Current contracts, present roster, minor league talent and the new CBA will all figure into how and when. The same with most other big market clubs.
Yankees and their fans don’t want a cheater and clubhouse cancer on the team
did it stop them from Arod? Didn’t think so.
I’m pretty sure that what we know about George, he would DEFINITELY be in on most these 300 million dollar contracts. Don’t know why you think we couldn’t safely assume that. He was always in on the biggest contracts without any hesitation.
They didn’t take on $300M! That’s narrative so false. The Yankees aren’t paying Stanton’s full remainder. Yankees were only committed to Stanton’s contract at $208M for his 7 year extension. That’s it. Miami is paying $60M of his contract and there’s a $10M buyout for his last year.
That’s a ~$100M inaccuracy…I hope you’re not an accountant.
A-Rod was worth every penny. He hit .281 (includes his two sub-.250 injury seasons) with ~350 homers, and 1100 RBIs in his Yankees tenure. Nobody likes him, but you cannot argue that contract wasn’t worth it.
{sigh}
I like A-rod, @Clip. So it’s not exactly “nobody”. But it certainly is “almost nobody.”
& – to your point – Stanton has a $22MM AAV: which is what Martinez is getting for example. The commitment is probably a year or 2 overly long. Stanton still a helluva hitter. Hope we get he & Judge some offensive help this winter.
@RobM has an interesting post on the Yankee new coaches thread. Highly recommend.
Cool, thanks Ducky! Yeah great point, and as you’ve astutely noted in the past, Stanton has been a beast in the post for us. This past year, he was every bit of the hitter and more for that contract.
Exactly my point. Although it was a trade, Stanton was a big money acquisition.
@seamaholic 2 still, it was a big money acquisition. They can’t be expected every year to do it but Stanton is still on their team so it’s still in effect.
And Cole might look good now but it could go downhill any year. That was A LOT of money
@kcusgnikcufsregdod, he’s a big name, but his 22M AAV luxury tax hit isn’t exactly staggering for a team operating their payroll and revenues.
@pwndroia, they factor decline in. Fans don’t. Fans of other teams declare a contract an “albatross” if the player isn’t as good in year 8 as in year 1. Teams don’t view the payroll of individual players. They view the entire roster and the overall production, recognize decline years. The decline years don’t define the contract.
RobM: Great job on your post, re: 2021 baseball usage disparity and its impact on teaMs/stadiums. Very interesting postulation that rings very true.
@seamaholic2 – nobody mentioned free agent contracts. The claim was that Yankees always get big name players and tie themselves to large contracts, which can happen via free agent signing or trade and was exactly the case with Stanton.
Pwn: No, Stanton’s contract is far more mediocre, especially for a superstar, than it is “big-money.”
Look, Stanton is one of the most prodigious hitters in MLB and was coming off an MVP season. The disparity in pay is so significant and getting more disparate, ie: Scherzer.
But let’s not stop there. Let’s look at the AAVs to see where Stanton is on big-money. You have Scherzer, Trout, Rendon, Arenado, Bauer, Strasburg, Cabrera, Price, Machado, Seager Lindor, Sale, Springer, Altuve, Upton, Harper, Goldie, Wheeer, Yelich, Stroman, Semien, Votto, Heyward, Verlander(and he’s injured!), Realmuto, Corbin, Bumgarner, Meyers, Betts, & Cano, all making more than Stanton.
Those making within say a $2M of Stanton? Blackmon, Gausman, Hosmer, Ray, Syndergaard, Donaldson, Ryu, Baez, Morton, Turner Bogaerts, Abreu, Martinez…
What does this mean? That Stanton’s contract is only 50% of the top AAV, over $100M less than the top paid contracts, and abundantly common among both a variety of teams and positions within MLB.
That’s not to include the massive extensions of Franco, Tatis, or Acuna. You’re way off on this one.
A-Rod cheated before he went to the Yankees? I don’t seem to recall that. Can you remind me, please?
Yankee Clipper. See the attached link from two years ago. While it’s not $300m, it’s big money through 2028 assuming they buy out 2029. George did approve Jeter’s extension and ARod’s trade so $300m today is likely for “some person”. Given the team’s total financial strength and lack of recent championships, he probably would be spending today like in 2009 (who knows though how much then he was involved?).
northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2019/11/2…
Not sure if that’s sarcasm about Cole.
Dewy: Yes sir, I agree. I was putting Pwn’s comments in perspective in terms of Stanton being a big-money contribution from the Yankees. My overall point was that the Yanks contributions annually to Stanton are not big-market team contributions. In fact, ~$20M AAV is fairly ubiquitous in today’s game.
Also, I do appreciate the info and your link. My point with A-Rod was addressing the comment above stating the Yankees contracted a known cheater – I don’t recall any info about him cheating in TX.
On your point about George, you’re right. He would be spending, his payroll would likely be $350M or more, and we would’ve purchased Seager/Correa. No dispute here. Hal’s very different.
Arod admitted using performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003. His excuse at the time was he “was under so much pressure after signing his $252 mil deal with the Texas Rangers.
Stanton’s been good when out there. But he hasn’t been the MVP he was when they got him and he’s getting ready to leave his prime.
He gave the Yankees ~0 in 19 and 20. He was good in 21. He’s now 32 and you have him for another 6.
I’m positive the Yankees would give him away and spend that money elsewhere if they found a taker for the entire deal and Giancarlo would say yes.
Stanton was a trade, not a free agent signing.
Since George died they haven’t been challenging the luxury tax cap. Perception hasn’t caught up with reality yet with the Yankees.
Aside from the 2009 Yankees, name a team that has signed bunch of a free agents and see it work out for them over the last 20 years?
haven’t been challenging the luxury tax cap? they’re at or near the luxury tax cap lmao get a clue.
They were restricted all of 2021 because they couldn’t take on any salary in trades. How is that not challenging the cap?
By “challenging” I’m pretty sure he meant surpassing. In other words they may be willing to spend in that range but it appears they view they luxury tax as a hard salary cap. That could all change this offseason since they dipped below it last year but I’m not so sure. I think the Yankees will be willing to pass the luxury tax but only on short term deals. I don’t see them giving out another long term contract. 3 years max and that just won’t get it done for a player like Correa. They could prove me wrong but if the Yankees give out another long term deal they are going to have luxury tax problems for a long time. They are probably willing to jump over the tax for a year or two but not the next 10 years straight. That’s not how they run their team anymore because of the penalties. Of course the luxury tax line could go way up in the new CBA. If that happens they could go all in on Correa. It would have to go up quite a bit though. I’d guess it would need to at least reach $240 million. I think a $30 million increase in one offseason is pretty unlikely.
Just keep Carlos Correa as far away from the Yankees as possible. I would rather them have Trevor Story signed for $200 million less. Correa knocked a Yankee Legend in Derek Jeter. Let him sign somewhere else. No thank you.
Maybe he will fall to them at the right price. I doubt the Yankees are going to give someone a huge, long-term contract before they see what Judge’s next contract is going to cost.
Correa is way more valuable than Judge. If it comes to one or the other (it won’t, but just for giggles) they pick Correa every time.
Actually it would be one or the other since signing Judge to a contract or extension would put them over the luxury tax cap for too many years in a row. Unless the Yankees want to pay out $25-30+ million/year in tax for multiple years.
By what measure? Judge has him by a lot on WAR since he came into the league. Even in a career year for Correa last year he barely edged out Judge. Sure, in terms of defensive value Correa as an elite SS >> Judge as a top notch RF.
Fan favorite name value (branding) with an untarnished reputation in NY along with leadership traits mean something.
Correa might play a more premier defensive position but he is by no means a better player than Judge, 1st All MLB, and Judges value to the team in terms of merchandise sales and tickets sold to see him could never be replicated by a rat like Correa that the fans don’t want to see wearing that uniform anyways
One is an of the other is a ss. Comparable with the bat though judge has more power, Correa is the more valuable player
If you’re the Yankees, there’s no way you can run it back with no notable upgrades next year, and rely on the same group that barely clawed it’s way to an embarrassing WC Loss. Correa, Freeman, or Olsen is a must have.
@ Rocket32;
Your comment embodies the thinking of Yankee fans that do not understand the sport of baseball – how it’s played and how it’s administered.
Large market teams – particularly the Yankees – sell entertainment with the names they bring in. They do not build quality teams with players that work off of one another. So they spend lot of money each year, get to the watered down playoffs (soon to be watered down even more), and in the Yankees case haven’t made the WS in 12 years.
They have no speed, their defense is 2nd rate, they have spotty starting pitching although very good bullpen pitching. They’re filled with name players that are overpaid, well fed, and many with long-term contracts – and no team will trade to take those guys on. What they are not is hungry to win. They win every payday and when they walk around town as celebrities. They’d like to win, but in that spoiled environment why would they bother dedicating themselves to it? They just cruise to the (watered down) playoffs every year, and when eliminated it’s always that someone got hurt and a few guys had bad years – it’s no ones fault (other than the cheap owner not spending even more money).
And every year at this time comments like your appear and the cycle continues……
@Samuel Get a new hobby as your obsession Yankees hating is uncanny and worrisome.
What learned is that sam goes though some type of yearly – or perhaps regular – “cycle.”
Which….yeah.
Get Olson and IKF through trades.
Problems solved and you didn’t blow up the bank on Correa.
Use the coin you saved on pitching!
@Rico D., the Yankees are always the easy default for fans, but in this case it may also be because there is no clear leader. I went up and down that list trying to figure the likely team, and wasn’t comfortable with any of my choices. The Yankees being the first choice might have also contributed to it.
So far, the Yankees showed no interest in any of the SS’s. That could change after the lockout is over. They may be waiting until they know the structure of the new CBA. They could go from the most passive team prior to the lockout, to the most aggressive team post the lockout. There certainly will be trades.
Zero chance with a big extension coming for Judge.
Yankees aren’t a Correa away from a title. They need to think smarter.
Yanks won 92 games in a season in which quite a bit went wrong. Not 82 or whatever. As a point of reference, the 2021 MLB Champion Atlanta Braves won 88.
But: Yanks are not limited to one player this offseason.
Now, I don’t think Correa in & of himself makes the Yanks the AL pennant favorites or whatever. But as part of a series of additions (such as bringing Rizzo back, a salary dump CF like Cain, maybe a trade for a starter: like that) he may help elevate them to that status.
He is the preeminent free agent on the market.
& there is a reason for that. He is the best 2 way SS in the game. His particular skills would address some very specific holes & weaknesses on this squad. I think he would have a huge influence on the entire lineup.
If it is a choice between Story + Rizzo & Correa, well I choose the former. But Correa + Rizzo would remake our lineup in splendid fashion. No way to argue against that really. From there you’re just shoring up/buttressing/reinforcing some things. But that would suffice for your heavy lifting.
If the Yankees keep doing half measures with SS, they will end up the same as always. Making the playoffs but not sniffing the World Series.
Phillies need to eventually do something right ?
Phillies got my vote.
yes they will and it wolnt be Correa.
Phillies will trade for a CF and sign an outfield bat and finish 3rd or 4th place. They won’t even make an offer to Correa or Bryant.
What CF do you think is available? I see Kiermaier and that’s it. And not sure the Phillies are the team the Rays are gonna want to deal with.
why wouldn’t they?
Von…do you think the Phils would consider Ian Happ as a true cf option? Happ for didi?
Kiermaier is exactly who I think the Phillies will get.
@riffraff I don’t really consider Happ a true CF, but his flexibility does add some value. As for Didi, I don’t see him as having any trade value.
As a fan of a team in need of some kind of CF help, the market is not barren.
As straight salary dumps you have; Kiermaier, Cain, & Grichuk. All flawed yet 1.5-3.0 WAR centerfielders. All of their respective teams would love to get out of their contracts. All have negative trade value on BBTV & in Common Sense.
As the Phillies have Joe G in the dugout, I would imagine Gardy is in play for them. Tommy Pham played some CF last year in San Diego. So there are yet more imperfect – yet viable – CF capable outfielders left in free agency.
Phils (like the Yankees) have plenty of time/options to patch or buttress center for 2022. Not any real long term solutions out there. There never was besides Marte & there are/were even questions with him.
However, there are a number of guys available that teams can plug in & compete with. Certainly for next year & perhaps even ’23 in some cases.
Seamaholic, CFers that are available, but it would take a ton to get em…..Cedric Mullins & the guy from Pittsburgh who’s name escapes me at the moment.
The phillies need to upgrade talent but not as a position of strength. Stott is the shortstop of the future and a legitimate option later this season.
Stott will be the starting SS by June.
I’d surprised honestly.
Stott might be a league average player. Fangraphs grades him as a 45 FV at age 23.4. That’s okay, but by contrast Correa was graded 50+ at age 20.0. And that was with some questions about his sticking at SS, and whether his swing would limit realizing his raw power. He’s answered both those questions positively.
Correa is probably twice the player than what the expectations are for Stott. Whether the Phillies want to commit to that kind of deal, is another thing, and I can understand why they wouldn’t. But Stott should no way be a factor in whether they pursue Correa or not,
Not to mention the fact that Stott can easily move to 2b. I don’t think the Phillies will be signing Correa, but as you mentioned Stott isn’t a factor in that decision.
Are people just voting recency bias with the Cubs report coming out earlier or are a bunch of Cubs fans getting their hopes up for no reason?
Dunk just answered my question
I just see the Cubs pulling this off, as they really need a elite glove at SS with Hendricks, Stroman and Miley in your rotation plus they need a good middle of the order bat too.
Cubs are not doing a full on rebuild and with the expanded playoffs coming, I think the goal is to contend for playoff spot the next couple of years while their very young prospects develop and eventually breakthrough into the majors and then go all in for a World Series run by 2024 and Correa will only be 29.
Don’t jump ahead of yourself here.
Not jumping ahead of nothing, this is not a full on rebuild.
The Owners and FO both confirmed this and they signed Stroman.
Not a full on rebuild? Who’s left? And before you get cranky,every club has pieces.
If the Cubs really want an elite glove SS, why didn’t they pony up for Baez?
Maybe the Cubs don’t think he was worth that the Tigers offered him.
So, if the Cubs were down on Baez at his asking price, I doubt they are high on Correa at his asking price. Time will tell.
Javier Baez threw a spoon in the mix by publicly stating he wanted to play with the Mets.
Baez is already a sketchy bat and his mechanics and approach are not going to age well. He will be an Andrelton Simmons type — great glove 9-place hitter — very soon. At least that’s a reasonable expectation and no doubt that’s what the Cubs thought.
Bingo!
Seam: Interesting. I will keep an eye on that.
@Seam Baez is one of the most exciting players in the sport and likely always will be, but unless he dramatically changes his approach he is a TWO true outcome hitter and that’s hard to build around.
Basically, I took the long to say I agree with you.
His numbers with the Mets say otherwise.
Apart from his failed 2020 season, Baez’s barrels % has gone up steadily since 2018, and this year marked the highest of his career. Since 2018, his percentage of hard-hit balls has also increased. If he can learn more selectivity to cut down on strikeouts, he can find a productive balance between power and contact rate. Admittedly, he could fail in that effort. But at 29, J.D. Martinez struck out a rate of 28.8% in his last year in Arizona. At age 30, he then cut it down to 22.5% in his first year with Boston.
Andrelton Simmons is a poor comp. He doesn’t strike out at a high rate and never has. He’s just a slap hitter with no power.
Correa is a more complete player. He gets on base and doesn’t strike out 40 percent of the time. He’s also going to make a lot more money.
In the last ten years at least, the only season in which any qualified MLB player struck out 40% of the time was in the flaky 60-game 2020 season. In no other season did a single player whiff at that rate. Not even close.
If you think hyperbole bolsters your point, I think you’re probably wrong.
Because the Cubs are tired of rostering players with Baez’s plate approach. Simple.
Cubs will only pull it off if he goes for the high AAV, shorter contract route. They’re not signing him for 10 years and $300M+.
Considering that they made an offer to Seager and are still looking to replace Semien’s bat, Toronto will probably get Correa, imho.
I voted for the Tigers just think he goes back to them and works out 10/275 with incentives worked in for more to appease his ego
Tigers have no place for him with Tork set to come up this year. They aren’t going to pull a Texas and aren’t going to lock themselves into 3 big multi year contracts. They needed an SS and wanted to sign their big contracts prior to the lock out. Done & done. They’ll sign a 5th starter but not another A list FA.
Not going to happen in Detroit. I do see them looking for another starter, likely better than a 5, and a bullpen arm or two. The offense will be bolstered by Tork, Greene, Cameron, and Hill. Plus expect more out of Reyes this year due to a change in his stance.
Derek Hill and Daz Cameron shouldn’t be relied on to boost an offense.I’m not sure those 2 are even good enough to be big league starters.
They will be battling for a single OF spot and 4th OF with Rayes and other prospects. Having one of them in the lineup on any given day is fine. Grossman and Greene are the everyday OF.
Tigers lineup
LF-Grossman (.350 obp with 20+ jacks and 20+ sb)
3B-Candelario (MLB leader in doubles with a .350 obp)
DH-Cabrera
SS-Baez
2B-Schoop
1B-Torkelson
C-Barnhart/Haase
CF-Greene
RF-Baddoo
If they signed Correa now, Schoop would have to move to 1B so Baez could be at 2B. That leaves no room for Torkelson and he & Greene are coming whether it’s opening day or May.
Correa’s market has dried up. He got greedy. There are not many teams willing to go 10 years and $300M. When the lockout is over he will not have time to play one team against another. It will become a game of musical chairs and he is going to go wanting. I think he signs a short deal and comes back in a year or two.
How has his market dried up? Because of Baez and the Tigers? That’s one signing.
He was never going to Texas, so their signing of Seager really didn’t impact his market besides give him a negotiating floor.
@Dustyslambchops23
How do you know he was never going to Texas? This website posted this is on Nov. 8, 2021:
“The Tigers, Phillies, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, and Cardinals are other potential suitors. A reunion with the Astros is still possible as well, though the club never got past $125MM in their spring training extension offers.”
Are you saying that Texas never considered signing Correa or that Correa never would’ve accepted a bid by the Rangers? If so, where did you hear that?
Correa’s market didn’t dry up—-he only needs one team. And if by dried up you mean he signs a five year deal at $160 with an opt out after two—oh, the dread at the Correa household….problems we’d all like to have.
Agree with your comment to an extent. Yes his market has dried up. No there are not a lot if teams willing to go 10/$300 million. I think he will be back in free agency within a couple of years.
Would love to have the energy to go back and print all the comments exactly like this for some superstar free agent or another over the years. They all proved false. The kinds of players that linger on the market forever are the non-superstars who think they are, or otherwise overprice themseves. Correa is legitimately one of the 10 best players in the game. Possibly top 5.
Sean: Correa top 5 in MLB? Haha, no way. Better than 12 out the 16 following: Soto, Acuna, Vlad, Trout, Ohtani, Betts, Judge, Tatis, Harper, Buehler, Wheeler, Freeman, Bregman, Wander, Scherzer, and Trea Turner. No. Correa is very solid. He will get paid. But not top 5 or top 10 in league, not even close.
Unless Bregman gets back to his old ways, Correa is better. Bregman hasn’t been spectacular the past two seasons. And Wander needs to prove his worth for more than half a season, and even that half season was slightly under what Correa did this year. The rest I agree with.
I agree with your points on Wander and Bergman.
Correa isn’t even top 20
I don’t think so. At the same salary for any player, who would you take for a six year period: Machado, Cole, Burnes, Carlos, Corey, Bryant, Stanton, Springer, Rendon, Arenado, Riley, Linder, Ramirez, Realmoto, Semien. This is maybe your 15-30 group. Seems like to me Correa is in the middle of this group or around 22 or 23 overall. I have Correa ahead of Corey and Lindor though. Simmons, Lindor and Ahmed might still be better fielders, but Correa is great defensively when he is healthy. But you can spend the money on big bats for corner outfielders, corner infielders and a DH, and have a lighter hitting catcher and shortstop.
@seamaholic 2
Since 2019, Correa ranks 32nd in fWAR. Since 2017, he ranks 26th. If some damn fool GM wants to throw $300M at him on the strength of his walk-year WAR, I hope that fool isn’t headquartered in the Bronx.
I agree. He missed out by not signing earlier. The demand for his services has decreased significantly, thus driving down the value of his services. That’s simple economics. Teams will tell him to take it or leave it because his options are so limited now.
Funny, I think it was Boras who encouraged teams to sign FAs quickly and before the lockout. Maybe he should thought that one out because they did just that and it screwed his own client. Many of the vacant SS positions have been filled.
There’s also a change in the economics of the sport. The pandemic kept the Fans away in 2020, and I’m sure attendance was down in 2021. Between the work stoppage and a new variant of Covid, its hard to project increased revenue next year. Teams are going to be careful if not in a major market.
Correa isn’t a Boras client.
I’m sure Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are very glad that they are.
Scott knew exactly what he was doing. As usual.
I feel like the Phils will sign him. Smells like a Dombrowski move. The runner up feels like it would be the Yanks but don’t count them out. I just feel like if they really wanted a big name SS, they would’ve gotten Seager.
Yankees might well like Correa much more than Seager. That’s not an unreasonable evaluation of the two players, especially when you consider injuries. I suspect the Yanks (and Dodgers and one or two other teams) are just waiting until they know what the new CBA looks like before committing. If it comes out without something crazy like a much bigger penalty for exceeding a lux tax threshold (or heaven forbid, a salary cap) they race will be on and I bet the Yanks bid very high on Correa. He’s the most valuable position player that’s been on the actual open market (as opposed to trade or extension markets) in years.
Although your points are legitimate, Seam, I don’t see the Yankees going to Correa for three reasons: first, in ‘22 they will have three shortstops in their top 10, two in their top 3, with the third only 17-years old; second, they’ve repeatedly maintained the narrative that they are going to address SS, possibly via stopgap; and third, they will not sign Judge to an extension on the heels of a massive Correa signing and Judge is far more important to the organization than Correa could ever be.
Even with unlimited cap space, I don’t see Hal approving that money for Correa. It’s too much for too long for a man at that position. I could see them pivot and spend a lot of money on other positions, however. I could see Story, if he can prove he can throw. But Correa is out, imho (and much to my personal satisfaction).
I agree. The Yankees will extend Judge. I think that they will make a trade for a shortstop, or sign Story if his market is soft.
I’ve already said this on here but I think the Yankees should offer Correa a front loaded 8 year $280M deal. $45M a year for the first 3 years then an opt out clause is available. Correa could then either test free agency again as a 30 year old or opt in to the remaining 5 years at a still respectable $29M a year. A deal like this would make Correa the highest paid player in the league for the first 3 years and give him the highest AAV among shortstops. It also gives the Yankees the ability to avoid going super long term since Correa would almost definitely take the opt out barring a serious injury
Opt outs are always — always always always, no exceptions, by definition — good for the player and bad for the team. If the Yankees sign him and give him an opt out, they want him not to exercise it. If he does, that means he’s been playing great and they dont’ want to have to negotiate a whole new mega deal or lose him. If he doesn’t, that means he’s been playing badly and they’re stuck with his contract.. A contract without an opt out is also much more tradeable if the player has surplus value. This is pretty ironclad, though for some reason a lot of fans don’t get it.
The type of deal I proposed would basically be Correa and the Yankees using each other for 3 years. Correa gets an absurd 3 year deal with the choice to either hit free agency again or take the reasonable guaranteed 5 years remaining. The Yankees get an elite SS without going to 10 years and likely move on from him after just 3.
It’s not about how much value this contract would give the Yankees. It’s about getting the best SS they can while in their contention window but also not being restricted long term by another mega deal
That assumes he stays healthy, performs, and opts out or does a JD and stays because he’s happy with the situation. If his injury issues return and/or he gets hurt and isn’t the same player when he comes back, the Yankees are stuck with him for the term. Better to just offer 3yrs $45. No need for the longer term. Alternatively, they propose a Mad Max contract and defer 1/2 of it which would give them more flexibility to extend Judge or sign another FA.
I covered the injury aspect above. There’s a big difference between a DH only player like JD Martinez and an elite defensive SS like Correa.
Obviously the Yankees, or any team for that matter, would love to just sign these guys to short term deals but that’s not how free agency works. The player gets no long term security that way and that is the biggest thing they’re looking for.
Also deferring money doesn’t affect the luxury tax hit for the team. The only number that matters in that situation is the AAV which in this case would be $35M, regardless of how much he would make in any particular year
The problem is the Yankees aren’t contenders with Correa
The Yankees are contenders even without Correa. The top half dozen AL teams are pretty evenly balanced, especially if the Astros do not resign Correa. The odds of the Yankees going to the World Series in 2022 is probably ten to twelve percent and that makes them a contender as I define it. Not a team in baseball that I give more than a twenty percent likelihood of making the World Series, there are a lot of very good teams.
They won 92 games last year despite almost every hitter outside of Judge and Stanton having a down year. Add Correa and get bounce back seasons from a couple guys and suddenly it’s a very deep lineup. Also signing Correa allows them to trade Oswald Peraza, probably for another bat.
Simply put the Yankees were still a well above average team last year despite having just about everything possible go wrong. They’re going to be right in the thick of things next year
Sometimes what went wrong was that the other team scored more runs. 😉
Other times the thing that went wrong was all but two hitters having down years and injuries to nearly your whole rotation
The Braves need to pass, for the amount of money, he’s not that big of an improvement over Swanson.
Agree with your first part. The second part is ridiculous.
I’m a fan of Dansby. I think he’s vastly underrated for what he brings. @Chris, that said, Correa put up nearly as many WAR last season as Swanson has in his entire career. Carlos is clearly better.
However I’d rather have Dansby & Freddie long-term than Carlos and a revolving door at 1B.
Not that big of an improvemenet over Swanson? That’s an awful take. Swanson has 11% below average offensive value in his career. Correa is 27% above average. Correa also just won a gold glove and platinum glove. There’s a substantial difference.
I believe that the increase in Swanson as a batter is real so I understand your point, but the difference in defense is palpable so Correa is clearly in a higher tier. But you would better convince me that Austin Riley is as good as Nolan Arenado than to say Correa is equaled by Dansby, and an additional year of the improved batting skill is needed to fully persuade.
Amazing how many people think the Cubs will sign him. To me it doesn’t make any sense despite the recent articles on mutual interest. But hey, you never know. Anyway my guess has always been Correa to the NYY. A match made in heaven.
Why does it make no sense? I actually think it makes loads of sense. They have the money, they have the hole in their lineup. He’s young enough to still be in his prime when they’re good again. He’s a huge upgrade on Baez. He (apparently) wants to be in Chicago. It actually sets up quite perfectly.
Because Correa doesn’t put the Cubs over the top, and the Cubs have plenty of SS depth in the minors. I don’t see the Cubs as a team that’s anywhere close to competing for the division. I get that Correa is young, but I still think splurging on a mega contract when you won’t be competing for a year or maybe even 2 is a massive waste.
That must be why Seager and Semien signed with the 2nd worst team in baseball, and Baez signed with the Tigers, and Ray with the Mariners and Scherzer with the Mets. None of those teams are anywhere near the “top”. But if you refuse to add players until you’re “near the top,” you’ll never add any players because that horizon will keep receding. The point being, the Cubs can sign Correa and still add more players until they ARE in range of “the top.” They have a world of payroll space, obviously.
Fans constantly overvalue team competitiveness on the list of player’s priorities when choosing a team. It’s way way down the list for most of them. I mean, you and I don’t choose a corporation to work for based on whether it’s well positioned to out-compete other corporations, do we? Neither do players. It’s money, life style, off-field opportunities, wife and family comfort level, THEN maybe how good the team is.
I’m only talking about the Cubs specifically. You mention the Rangers who have been building up financial flexibility for a few years. You mention the Mets who just got a new owner willing to buy half of planet Earth. The Cubs specifically are in year 1 of a rebuild. Splurging right now seems way too early IMO. I’m not saying teams that aren’t ready to win shouldn’t spend to improve. I’m saying the Cubs should actually start their rebuild a little bit before throwing the entire plan out the window. I think signing Correa right now erases their financial flexibility for the next for years, and I don’t think that’s very intelligent for them to do.
Let me start with this; I really don’t think the Cubs are going to sign Correa.
That said, if they wanted to get in, I don’t agree with several of your major points. First of all, if the Rangers get a pass for their financial flexibility, then so do the Cubs. It may not have been years in the making, but they can add $125 million/yr in payroll obligations and still not be at their 2019 spending levels. They’re one of the biggest markets in the country with all sorts of non-baseball assets on top of Wrigley Field and their own TV network. They can spend AT LEAST at those levels again. We don’t even need to assume any kind of raises.
Second, it doesn’t harm their flexibility meaningfully. Obviously signing somebody for $30MM+/yr means there are fewer moves available after that, but once again, they have enormous headroom. On top of that, Heyward’s contract will be off the books in two years–right around when the Cubs will be hoping to start pushing in.
Third, I think they could structure the deal cleverly. With as much payroll space as they have right now, they could front-load the contract. That’s appealing to the player because of the time value of money, and it also means the Cubs are spending more in years where they have nothing on the books and less in years where they are ready to roll and when you start to worry about his decline period. Unless the rebuild is just a thin excuse to pocket money for a couple of years, that seems like exactly how you would want to do it.
Again, I don’t think they’re going to do it unless his price comes down quite a bit, but if the Cubs believe that Correa is a their guy for their next winning team it’s really not absurd to go grab him now.
If you aren’t putting a priority on actually enjoying your job or work environment then you are in for a world of hurt one day. Money is obviously a prime motivator, but playing for team that won’t suck is important. They don’t have to be the WS odds on favorite but all the Tigers, Mariners, & Mets can all explain how they’ll be competitive next year with those players. Texas presumably committed to spending to win. Nobody wants to grind out a 162 game season on a 90-100+ loss team, even for a big paycheck. These guys thrive on competition so constant losing isn’t something they’ll knowingly sign up for. Minimum, they want to know the org is committed to spend to win.
“Plenty of SS depth in the minors” is one of the dumbest ways to limit your free agent signings. Shortstops and center fielders are the most athletic positions on the field, meaning they can play anywhere. You don’t restrict yourself from signing those players because of unproven depth. If those guys pan out, great! Play them elsewhere.
That being said, I don’t think the Cubs will sign him if he sticks with 10 years/$300M+, but if he goes the higher AAV route, then I can see it happening. I still put the chances at below 50%.
I agree that Correa would take 325 million to go to the Cubs, Rockies, Marlins, Phillies, etc. Money talks. I just do not see the Cubs wanting to do it. How much better are the Cubs during 2027-2031 having Correa rather than having added money to spend. They can sign Soler and Schwarber to short deals say 2-3 years for a combined AAV well less than Correa and play one in LF and one at DH. And have enough to add one more starter or a couple relievers. This will keep them competitive but not victorious in 2022 and 2023 as they build toward a top team.
@Ry Let me emphasize that I don’t think “Plenty of SS depth in the minors” is the main reason why the Cubs don’t go after Correa. I’m throwing it in there as an additional factor. The Cubs can rebuild smartly for 2-3 years and be competitive in no time. Spending on Correa now limits them financially when it’ll be time to make a real push. I mention the minor league depth, because SS may not be a huge position of need in 3 years or so.
I signed him in OOTP Baseball and year one it was evident I was the sucker GM of the off-season. Irrelevant? Maybe but maybe not.
Huh? He was a 6 win player last year.
I’m curious what he signed for in OOTP
The Yankees might do some serious tire-kicking, but in the end I think they will pass. To run a team with at least a chance to get below the CBT you have to have some positions filled with cheaper younger talent, and the team might have that from one of the two prospects. That doesn’t mean Correa isn’t a terrific player, but it’s probably not a great business move for them. The Judge potential contract is an overhang, but those things can end surprisingly. “Face of franchise” doesn’t guarantee anything. Very very few players these days are one team only.
My guess is they push hard at extending Judge and go after Correa if he wants to try the market or insists on more than they want to spend. If they sign Correa and let Judge go after next year, they’ll still get 1 season with both which would be formidable.
I’d agree that they really don’t want to lose Judge, who is a homegrown player and very popular, along with being a very good player. You could be right about Correa–I don’t have any visceral reaction to him one way or another. But he’s going to be a very large contract, and if the Yankees care at all about the CBT, it’s going to be a problem. Stanton’s contract runs through 2027, so there’s no offramp there.
Yankees have 5 prospect SS-capable players coming up, one is incredible defensively, another is an offensive stud and average defensively, and the third (only 17) is reported to be very similar to Wander Franco and a true five-tool-player. There’s no way they do this deal with Correa if he stays on his long-term demand, especially at that price.
The Yankees were quietly sitting in the weeds before the lockout to see what happens with the luxury tax IMO. After the new CBA is agreed upon, I think they’ll act like the Yankees again. Correa is a perfect fit.
Correa reminds me alot of Lindor. Both guys are just barely above average hitters that play top level defense except Lindor stays healthy and Correa gets hurt every season. Personally I value offense way more than defense, I would never give a defense first player anywhere near 10 years 300 mil. Correa should be getting somewhere around 5 years at 20 million per year but teams will way overpay him
He did a 134 wRC+ last year. Career number is 128. Here are some names from near him on the wRC+ leaderboard in 2021: Freedie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Jose Ramirez. You think those guys are “barely above average hitters” too? Dude’s basically Freddie Freeman as an elite shortstop defender.
For reference, Lindor’s career number is 116.
Yea. Correa is very very good. I think when people see potentially high contracts, they purposely look hard at a players’ flaws. Correa is an absolute game changer.
Except Correa’s offensive career numbers are bloated and therefore useless. You cannot compare him numbers-for-numbers because of that which is why he will have trouble getting what Seager & Lindor signed for.
It’s like comparing bank accounts when you know part of the money listed in one of the accounts isn’t really there, you’re just not sure how much.
Yankee Clipper:
“Except Correa’s offensive career numbers are bloated and therefore useless.”
How do you figure that? You can’t make your point by simply dismissing stats. Correa has a career 128 wRC+. That’s 28% better than a league average hitter. That’s a park adjusted stat. That Minute Maid is a hitter’s park is irrelevant.
Tad: You’re right, I should’ve clarified. I wasn’t referring to the hitters’ park perception, I was referring to the unknown factor of his offense – the cheating.
Nobody except Correa, Hinch, Altuve, Bregman, Beltran, Brantley, well, you get the point, know how much Correa cheated offensively.
When viewing stat-to-value ratio, which many teams/agents do, I think it causes teams pause, which is why Seager received a 10-year/$325M contract so readily and Correa is still on the market, even though Correa is the superior defensive player.
The Tigers were likely influenced by Hinch, but again, they didn’t offer him anywhere near $325M.
My point is this: if his performance, statistically, occurs with any other premium position player in MLB, he’s easily getting or surpassing Lindor money. I don’t believe Correa will, but I could be very wrong.
I think last season pretty much alleviated the cheating wors.
I voted he will get at least $325M that Seager got and that he will sign with the Phillies. But none of us really know what he will get or where he will go. Too much of that depends on what the CBA looks like and we don’t have a clue on that either. He decided to wait out the lockout to see if his market would more fully develop. A risky move but maybe a good move on his part. If the Tigers offer of 10y/$275M was his best offer pre-lockout, he has to think he can beat that post-lockout regardless of what the CBA looks like. But also comes with some risk as any fundamental change in the CBA could very well affect who might be willing to pay for his services.
Is Didi Gregorius really finished as a SS? He’s on contract 2022 and I don’t think the Phillies give upon him until mid season. The Phillies need so much in the OF, 3B and 1B. Rhys Hoskins is a platoon DH.
@Didi certainly looked horrendous at SS last year, and Dombrowski implied that he would have to earn a roster spot, it’s not guaranteed. That being said, the Phillies signing Correa isn’t based on anything substantial other than people speculating. The Phillies don’t necessarily need 1B help. OF is the priority for sure.
I see him going to the Phillies for 10/350. it just feels like a Phillies kind of move. I also think they end up with KImbrel once the CWS get around to moving him.
Marlins.
New TV money.
Glaring weakness on Offense.
Correa would be a rock star in Miami, perfect franchise face.
I picked the Mariners as a dark horse.
The Yankees will only sign him if he falls to what they would want to pay. Seattle is going to step up with a 10 year 340 million deal. They can say Crawford is their SS all they want but I’m expecting a big splashy move on their part.
@Joe I need to disagree about the M’s.
1. The money involved is too much for their rebuild. They are still paying Cano, They won’t make that mistake again.
2.. He won’t move off SS and is too valuable for any other position,
3. Crawford and Haniger are the face of franchise. Corrrea and his reputation for cheating is a huge negative. How do you pay Crawford and Haniger if you give the golden goose and the egg that goes with it? What does that say to the fans?
4. They can find a middle infield bat cheaper somewhere else.
Good points. And I think a lot of fan bases feel that way about Correa.
Cash has become so value conscious.
So annoying.
Have you ever gone on a road trip with someone like that? Worried about the continental breakfast, or the free USA Today, or how many crackers come with a bowl of soup as opposed to a cup. Or if the beer snit is free with the bloody Mary. Terrible people when it comes to; Just Having Fun.
Like the type of guy I was referring to, I don’t think Cash cares much about Name Brands. Rather he cares only if he is getting a good deal. I am sure he has a specific number in mind for Correa – indeed all free agents. If he can match or beat that number he will act.
If not he will just keep searching hotel sites, I mean shortstops.
Joe, I think the Mariners are an interesting team to consider. I’m honestly baffled. I think he signs for around $275M if he stays with long-term demands, but I’m still not sure with which team. I don’t think it’s the Yankees with Peraza, Volpe, Arias (Jan ‘22), Vargas, & Cabrera all 1-5 seasons away.
Cabrera will probably make the team next season, Peraza very likely sees time as well. Vargas is probably 2-3 seasons away, Volpe is 2, and Arias is probably 5 or so seasons away, if all his reports are accurate.
I just don’t see them committing to Correa with their talent in the minors. Plus, like Ducky said, Continental breakfast….
1) We’re barely paying Cano. If Correa would sign here, the few million per year we have invested in Cano wouldn’t change that.
2) Dipoto speaking large about Crawford at SS doesn’t mean Crawford wouldn’t move off for the right piece here. It’s all smoke and mirrors and empty rhetoric. Baseball GMs are notoriously cryptic.
3) Non-issue. A complete non-issue. Fan perception shouldn’t play into that decision. Crawford isn’t even a top 10 shortstop in baseball. Correa could be one of the 10 best players in all of baseball for the next decade…so that is a literal nonissue. Field the best team possible within your window of contention. Championship banners fly forever and Mariners fans will absolutely not care about his past if we win with him in the future.
4) They can find a cheaper bat, sure. But that doesn’t mean they’ll find an impact.
There’s literally zero justifiably reason for the Mariners to not be in on Correa.
@dshire
I would do a 6 year deal with Freddie Freeman before I would give Correa, his bad back and reputation for cheating 10/$300..
…and right there, is the truest remark on that sitch.
I could see Washington sneaking in and signing him
I could too. Good thought.
Why wouldn’t Correa be willing to sign a huge ($40+ mil) one year deal and come out next year as the only elite SS on the market)?
If that would be the case, the Yankees would be in the game.
Because all it takes is one little “pop” in spring training and all of a sudden there is no mega contract next year.
He gets hurt and sacrifices $300+ million. It happens. Prince Fielder is an excellent example of a player that signed in his prime had a couple good seasons, got hurt and was never the same. He made $72 million AFTER being released.
Whatever huge contract he gets he’s not worth it. Will end up being a bad contract for whatever team signs him.
I wonder if he might bite if the Astros offered him 6 years in the $40 million AAV range. They would definitely be paying top dollar for the remaining prime years.
I cast my vote for the Cubs. I do have a mystery team that also plays in Chicago although I believe the White Sox will be more likely to sign the other remaining free agent SS, Trevor Story.
If the ChiSox ink Story it will be to fill their hole at 2B. If they do pony up for Correa, he would play SS with incumbent Tim Anderson sliding over to 2B. The most likely scenario has the White Sox trading for their next core 2B with Ketel Marte at the top of their wish list.
Went with Blue Jays and $250-300MM.
The Jays were ready to pony up for Stroman and they could certainly use a replacement for his bat, and they’re one of the few teams I think that will stretch toward his asking price.
Which brings us toward why I don’t think he’s going to get there: There’s just not enough teams I can see going that high. While it’s true that it only takes one, that one would essentially be bidding against themselves. I think he could get a team to go 8 and a bit over $30MM AAV to get him to $250MM with an opt-out or two sprinkled in. Assuming no serious injury issues he’ll be back on the market in 3-4 years and get himself another big deal. But I don’t think he hits $325MM or more in this deal.
Replacement for whose bat? They have a very good shortstop.
I’d move Bichette to second base. Last year they had their best SS at second and I understand why considering Bichette wasn’t going to move their for one year only. But If they can bring one in who’s better long term, it’d make it way easier to move him off SS.
You wrote stroman instead of semien.
I can’t see the jays going after him unless his years come way down, but at that point that would interest so many other teams
Dusty, I actually think he meant Seager, as there has not been a lot of talk that the Jays were trying to pony up for Semien
i dunno if the jays sign a big contract w correa and his injury history after the tulo ordeal. i think if they are looking for help at that position story makes more sense and then they’d still have room to sign another rotation piece.
I understand your point, but I don’t think Tulo is comparable to Correa, even considering Correa’s injury history. Also, Toronto is often underrated, imo, when it comes to spending big on top FAs. They’ve been involved with many, made many offers, are very competitive right now, and have the financial base.
My selection was the Blue Jays.
Phillies on a shorter term with higher annual dollars, opt outs, etc – a Dombrowski, late-market JD Martinez-type-deal.
This is exactly the reason we’re in a lockout. The smaller teams that could really use Correa have a snowball’s chance in heell of signing him (he’s not going to sign with the Marlins, guys) and the team that does indeed sign him is going to pay too much money for too many years.
So the rich teams will pay too much (because they can and will) and the mediocre players will get less (or no contract at all) because the funds go to the elite players. The lower end on both sides get screwed by these ridiculous contracts.
Although everyone loves to point to Correas’s WAR and defensive metrics, I see a guy who’s never hit 30 HRs, never 100 RBIs, had 100 runs once in his career, and at 6’4 and 27 years old, history has shown he’ll eventually need to move to 3B (and/or experience declining SS metrics). I don’t even think he was the best player on his own team (Altuve).
BTW, I’m not a fan of the Seager and Semien deals either (Seager may be the worst signing of the lot). All these guys deserve to get paid, but not these ridiculous amounts.
Deals I do think were good for the player and the league are Trout, Tatis, etc. where the team is paying for the quality years of the player (and growth).
Your argument for discounting his WAR and defensive metrics is … look at his RBI and runs scored totals? You do realize the latter two are entirely determined by his teammates and where he typically hits in the batting order, not him, right?
Are you saying that home runs are a factor of his teammates? His ability to drive in runs is not of value?
My point is that he’s very good, even great for a few years. Not elite.
Loud agents and careless media throw out ridiculous numbers and the players start to believe it. So do the fans (clearly) and then the teams cave. That’s how Scott Boras got Shin Shoo Freakin Choo a monster contract.
He’ll get paid. For too much. And for too long.
so saying players get ‘paid too much’ goes back to a bigger issue.
pay them less and let billionaire owners reap more profit?
you can end the dream now of any contractual savings by ceiling contracts being passed down to a family of 4 who doesn’t want to spend $500+ to go to a game.
so what’s the answer?
until the day fans stop supporting the product gate prices will continue to go up, contracts will soar, and owners will continue to reap massive profits.
so really what’s complaining going to do?
Well, honestly, owners contuining to pay these types of salaries is turning baseball into a rich fans sport, exclusively! The average fan cannot afford to attend one game, no less numerous one’s in a season. Yes the owners are billionaires, but they have to pay the salaries of everyone employed by them in their respective organizations. It adds up! I am not on the owners side by any stretch, but when the reserve clause was abolished, the players have been doing quite handsomely going forward, so they have ZERO rights to bicker. The fans are the big losers in this!
Seager and Semein both signing in Texas did nothing to “dry up” his market. What hurts Correa more than anything else is the fact that the big clubs (Cubs, Yanks, Red Sox, Dodgers) for whatever reason will not sign him. Dodgers and Red Sox have their SS’s in Turner and Boegarts. The Cubs won’t sign him for that kind of contract when they blew the team up last year (call it whatever you want, it’s a rebuild).
And the other SS needy teams either will go a different route (Story or possibly trade) before spending that big on Correa. I think teams have looked at signings like Fransisco Lindor and others and are thinking more before doling out a contract this massive. Correa has only stayed healthy a few years and his numbers may or may not stay at this current level. Just an opinion, but that’s what I see.
All those high revenue teams will indeed bid on him (or most of them will) as soon as the CBA is resolved.
No, they wont, because most of them already have the SS position filled, or soon will, and don’t want a long term commitment.
Not a single one of those four teams have the shortstop position filled long term. Cubs and Yankees don’t have anyone there, and Boergarts and Turner have 1 year left on their contracts. Dodgers are likely to resign Turner, but based on recent speculation, it doesn’t sound like the Red Sox will do the same with Boegarts.
Turner played 2B last year. No reason he couldn’t do that again
all those 10 year deals after seeing what happened to the angels with pujols!
Maybe make sure they don’t have a chronic foot injury first?
The contract is going to be 8-10 years and won’t exceed 300 million. The deal will include a few opt outs and he’s probably opting out after a front loaded, three years. That’s why he’ll be a cub.
I think most people are falling into past traps and not paying attention to team trends, organizational depth and needs. The Red Sox and Yankees have been trying to stay under the luxury cap tax and penalties. Since George died the Yankees have been very frugal.
The team that makes the most sense to me are the Mariners. Plenty of salary cap space and adding Correa and Ray would be quite an offseason. They won 90 games last year. Add Ray and Correa and you could see them compete for the division and probably get into the wild card.
@Goose The M’s don’t have a $300M problem.
I see them signing Suzuki and one more SP to fill out their rotation. They have an acceptable infield with Crawford, Frazier and Toro. All they are lacking is another big bat. That could come at several positions other than SS. Signing Correa would kill their team chemistry and end their rebuild. I would go for Trevor Story or a younger, cheaper prospect to add to the infield.
Toronto considering that they made an offer to Seager & are trying to replace Semien, apparently. Toronto all the way in the Correa sweepstakes, imho.
I think the Yankees would be well-served to trade for Cedric Mullins, if possible, or perhaps Bryan Reynolds, and go with a stop-gap at short until Peraza or Volpe (whoever doesn’t go in a trade) is ready; and they should be more like the Rays and bring the rookie up and let him take his lumps in the majors instead of timidly holding him back in the minors, which seems to be their (Cashman’s) hang-up.
Relying on Hicks going forward makes less sense to me than relying on their top-rated shortstop prospects. But of course there’s the issue of the foolish contract Cashman issued to Hicks and whether Brian’s pride will allow him to sell low, which he should, IMO.
I bet the Orioles will try to practically rebuild with what they ask for just Mullins, lol. It at least sounds like they want the motherload for him!
Mr. Person: Yes. Exactly. They should trade for one of those two if they can. They can trade for a formidable short-term option, like the Cards’ DeJong, or similar. Hicks is not a solution. He’s, at best, a fourth OFer and barely CF-capable on defense.
I do wonder what Mullins would require. I know Reynolds (my top choice of CF candidates) would eradicate the farm.
I have a feeling the O’s might be more reasonable than the Pirates. The latter seem to ask for the moon lately. Maybe they’re overcompensating for getting plundered by the Rays in the Archer trade.
If the Pirates trade Bryan Reynolds, they’ll burn PNC Park. Many teams made overtures at the trade deadline for Reynolds, and Cherington didn’t bite.
I sure hope he doesn’t sign with the Dodgers. I do not want anything to do with a cheater. Not to mention. He was part of the Astros cheating scandal during the WS against the Dodgers.
Dodgers arent gonna sign him. They let Seager go because they have Turner now..
The guy has a lifetime .277 BA & .356 OBP, is a good fielder, has good speed, and soon he will be mega rich, what a country!
Anyone thinks the Yankees are wrong. Did everyone forget the Yankees are cheap now and counting every penny or the Yankees would of gotten Scherzer and signed Seager. The evil empire is dead.
Wrong on the speed. He never runs. Which is why I’ve preferred others over Correa. Semien & Story in particular are 30/30 threats, at least!
I’d say he’s not getting a long-term contract due to being injured all the time Hopefully no team signs him and he goes to play overseas.
Seager is injured substantially more than Correa ever has been and Seager got 10 years and $325M.
Excellent point! Just because you have stupid money available, doesn’t mean you make stupid choices. Semien = good choice,
Seager = dumb choice.
But seriously. Correa’s back problems are going to hinder him getting top dollar, and with the top suitors coming off the table, Correa will be under $300m.
I hope nobody signs him and his market crashes
1yr $40MM with an opt out clause at the allstar game.
This has surprise Angels written all over it, just like some of the other big names. I can here it now “we tried real hard to get a front line pitcher but couldn’t, so we just got the best player out there” “our young pitching bla bla bla”
They do need a SS with good defensive skills, and that would be a ridiculous lineup!
To be clear, I’m not advocating, just throwing it out there.
nah, angels have 2 highly rated shortstop prospects that will come up ’24. their target is more trevor story or a trade.
Three more years before one of the high rated SS prospects debuts, only means Mike Trout in decline mode, and the window closed. Arte is under pressure, he’ll bite HARD!
Someone should offer a heavy front loaded deal. Like 40 mil a year for 4 years and then 20 mil a year for the next 6. Ends up being a 10 years 280 mil deal. Opt out after 4 years. If hes still one of the best players in the league he can try for a semien type deal. If he gets hurt, he always has 120 mil coming in.
LOL
I think Papa Steve gets him to play third for 4 years at 40 million a year. Back on market at age 31 and 160 million richer
My knee jerk reaction is to say there is no way Cohen signs another AAV of $40 mil a year but then I said that about Sherzer AFTER the Mets signed Marte, Cahna AND Escobar.
Who cares. He’s turned down 2 huge offers already and will end up regretting he did so as what he ends up signing for will be for significantly less than either of these. He’ll end up getting hurt and any long term big money contract is off the table. Let’s call him Juan Gonzalez 2.0 as he declined a $140M contract from the Tigers in 2000 and never came close to any offer like that again. Moral…Greed is not good
Hence the nickname “Juan gone”. He got greedy and it was gonnnne!
Why would he sign with the Cubs? They won’t be contending for awhile. I don’t see a Mega Star signing there especially how they treated Kris Bryant and the overall cheapness of the Ricketts.
Why would they sign with Texas?. They won’t be competing for awhile. Because Texas was willing to pay them. Ignore the standings. Show him the money! Or if you prefer, if you pay him, he will come.
Kris Bryant had nothing but great thing to say about the team and club upon his departure. He was just doing his due diligence in changing the rules about service time, but he held no ill-will toward the team.
The Cubs have the money and the resources to compete any time they want to. They’re trying to build their farm back up and build the team up to compete differently than their one-hit wonder core, but they’re no more than 2-3 years away from competing. That’s not going to stop anybody from signing a long-term contract with them.
A cheater with a bad back. Hard pass.
He’ll sign with either the Nats or the Orioles, $100/week for 20222 and 350Million deferred.
I’m an Astros fan (obviously) & I don’t think he’ll re-sign with Houston. I’d be more open to it if he were open to taking a shorter deal, but 10 years for any player (in any league) is ridiculous, in my opinion. It’s ridiculous for Lindor, Seager and Correa.
He’s a tremendous fielder and I think he will have a couple of huge offensive years, but 10 years is about 4-5 years too long. His defense would be missed for sure. Not only that, the energy he brings would be missed as well.
It was great to finally see him play a full season while healthy…and his injury history should give any interested team pause.
I have no idea where he’ll end up, but I don’t think it will be NY or LA. Just my $0.02.
Loved watching Correa play but never saw his energy as much as Altuve, Bregman, or Springer. Knew Springer was headed northeast and figure Correa will chase a big long contract elsewhere too. The Astros will be ok
Agreed. I think the only way he stays in Houston is a 1-2 year deal with a high AAV. I think they should just go after Story at this point and save some $$.
Cubs will be free of Heyward in two years and zero financial commitments beyond ’23.
I can’t see the Yankees signing Correa.
Don’t rule out the Angels. Arte is known to outbid himself for power hitters.
Artie never learns…
Can we have in the new CBA deal that just the first 6 years of a free agent are guaranteed ? players can still get 10+ years but only 6 guarantee. Keep players motivated.
This idea has alot of teeth to it, but the players will balk mightily. The NFL has it. It keeps the players honest, not dogging it.
New CBA gonna have a salary floor so Orioles going to overpay. They are only 1 season away from moving out of rebuild anyways so gives them a jump this year on better talent
FWIW I voted for Phillies as his landing spot, with Cubs at #2. The Phillies org & fanbase is tired of churning out mediocre product now that Bryce is in his prime years. They do not want to waste any more time. So they could make a big splash and sign Correa thinking that will boost them over the hump.
Cubs at #2 because I believe they are having second thoughts about enduring a full 100% rebuild and will try instead for a Dipoto-esque “step back” / “re-imagining.” Cubs definitely have the funds to do it and they splurged for Stroman so I think we may see more surprises after lockout.
It’s really difficult seeing Correa get the kind of contract he’s looking for. I would guess that Texas would have gotten him the closest, assuming they offered him first. If the Dodgers and Yankees were in this than maybe I could see him getting into that rarefied air but I think he overplayed his hand. Every teams FO has to wonder at the health of his back. If 2020 had been a full season where he had back to back seasons of good health I could see a better case being made.
I’m going to use that dreaded phrase “pillow contract”. I wonder what he might do if someone offered him 1 yr/$40 mil. He would still only be 28, plenty young enough to get a huge contract offer IF he can have another healthy season.
I’ll never discount Arte Moreno’s ability to step in and hand out an albatross contract that hamstrings his team for years.
I’ve been saying the Angels are the sleeper team, though not really, considering Moreno’s penchant to hand out ludicrous contracts. He’s under so much pressure to get Trout a Championship, he’ll cave!
Correa’s agents have refused to let teams look at his medical records unless the team first makes an offer. This might rank among the dumbest negotiating tactics of all time. “Now that we’ve given you every reason to suspect he’s a major injury risk, make an offer!”
Any GM fool enough to accept that condition is begging to get fleeced.
The offer would be pending based on the medical records and physical. If this is his requirement, it just removes the window shoppers.
Lindor and Seager would of never been traded 1 for 1 with Correa.Just my opinion,Lindor is a 30hr 20 sb player and Seager is a lh bat who balances any lineup.Correa is very good but hes not a 300 million guy.He’s a Baez and Semien contract imo.Lindor contract HAD to get done by Cohen or he would of been eaten alive by the press.Seager is the best FA available along with Freeman because they are left handed hitters with power and good defense.What team can afford 300 million with Story available for half that money.Correa should of taken the 275
He’s getting at least 350, and if you don’t think so, you’re kidding yourself.
From who?… You gonna pay him?
You mistyped 250.
12yrs/$360m Cubs
If Cubs do that, will prove they learned nothing from the Haywerd contract.
I didn’t think Al Avila would ever enter the big game free agent market after Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton but he just signed up for two comparable outcomes in Eduardo Rodriguez and Javier Baez.
The Cubs were sooo wrong giving Heyward that contract. That should be the poster boy for foolishness!
I do think the Cubs will sign him. They have the payroll flexibility and need a leader on the team when all these new young prospects arrive beginning next year and for the next 5 to 6 years. Does he deserve to be paid 10 yr 350+? No. But teams overpay for a guy that can be the face of the Franchise and to put butts in the seats. Paying someone 35 mil a year will not handcuff the cubs since they will have all young contracts for years to come. Also the free agent market is horrible after next yr so it’s almost like an 8 yr deal after eating the first 2 years of his deal if you were to sign a player of this caliber after the 2023 season. He will then only be 29 and will be in the middle of his prime years.
I can’t believe that more people didn’t vote for Toronto signing Correa! I mean, they went after Seager for crying out loud!!! Stands to reason they’re serious about replacing Semien. And I think someone (Toronto) will eventually step up and give Correa 10/$350. Now everyone knows that they’ll have to do better than Detroit’s 10/$275, and probably better than Seager’s 10/$325.
@dsett
No. Now everyone knows the 275/10 by Detroit is off the table, as they signed a SS. Now everyone knows Texas has spent to buy 2 SS and are no longer looking for another @ 300MM. They all know that the teams that had needs, and money to spend on a SS are gone, out of the running, and no longer driving the price up. They know that they will likely be bidding against themselves. If they offer more than 6 years it takes Houston out of the competition.
You say the Tigers are out because they signed Baez, but then mention the Rangers that signed Seager after signing Semien. Would you have said the Rangers were out of the running for a SS if Seager was still on the market? I wouldn’t bet on the Tigers signing Correa, I’ll always take the field, but if the Rangers can sign 2 SSs,. then the Tigers can as well. They have the money and payroll flexibility to do so if they want.
What I meant was that teams know that he shot down 10/$275. So, teams will have to go above that & I’m assuming that Correa still insists on being the highest paid SS of this offseason, at least. Meaning, someone will probably have to beat what Seager got & maybe even Lindor. I won’t include Lindor though, but I do think that Correa will at least want someone to match Seager’s 10/$325.
dsett75:
Two things: First, that 10/$275M might have been just an initial offer, a starting place for the Tigers in the negotiation. That’s not unusual. It doesn’t have to be a one-time, take-it-or-leave-it, deal.
Second, I think that’s a huge assumption that Correa has to be the top paid SS. It’s kind of paradoxical that some are claiming his market has shrunk to almost nonexistent to minute, and others thinking he’ll top Lindor’s deal. It takes two to tango, and if no team is willing to exceed the $341M, or even the $325M, number, then he won’t.
That’s why I voted that he would exceed $300M but not top Seager’s deal. If I’m right, though I wouldn’t say I was in anyway confident, it’s also a little paradoxical. As a result of his shrinking market, the team that does sign him, the top FA. would be getting a better player than Seager for less money.
And Styme, I think Toronto will give Correa the 10/$350 eventually considering that they gave Seager an offer.
They were foolish to make that kind of offer to Seager, who hasn’t played a full season consistently. They let Semien go to Texas. If they were serious about that kind of contract, Semien would have been the one you give it to!
I agree even though I voted Philly. I was torn between the two, but felt Philly needed him more with Harper and JTR at, or entering, their prime years. Tax threshold be damned. But the Jays do make a lot of sense, more so than LAD, NYY, or Astros, and slightly more sense than the Tigers, though they could be in on him despite having signed Baez.
Damn.
Toronto does make tons of sense. I can definitely see that. Signed Springer last year. As a Yankee fan, I am not overly excited about the prospect of the Jay’s adding him to that lineup. At all.
Also: Happy Holidays, tad2b13.
Hey Ducky,
Happy holidays to you as well. If I were a Yankee fan, I’d be a bit worried about the Jays signing Correa as well. But there are so many factors involved, they could sign him, and the Yanks could still take the division. Much like when I was sure that, after the Dodgers got both Scherzer and Trea Turner, that they’d catch and pass the Giants, Yet they didn’t. Yanks still have a lot of talent on their roster, and only a fool would write them off. And I’m I’m sure Cash isn’t done.
Ducky, Toronto was my choice. I could see them pushing Bichette over, and they already took on Springer. I picked them.
Don’t see Correa in Toronto at all. They let Semien walk to Texas, and he has FAR better numbers.
Tad, I don’t think my Tigers will be in on Correa anymore. Although I am surprised that AA offered him 10 years. He’s said that he won’t do $300+ million though. I’d rather we (Tigers) got 3 $100 million dollar guys versus a $300 million dollar Correa. Plus, they’d have to slide Schoop over to 1B in order to put Baez at 2B. That leaves no room for Torkelson. And he & CF Riley Greene are coming soon & probably going to be in the lineup opening day if they have a decent ST.
dsett75:
The Tigers may not be in on Correa anymore, but I wouldn’t categorically say that was the case. I’ll always take the field, but they’re more likely than most other teams.
But Correa is a premier talent, and whomever does sign him will probably be very happy with the production for the next 6-7 years. There aren’t many chances to sign a guy like that.
I also disagree with the 3 guys for the same amount of money philosophy. If you can sign one guy that approaches the production of 2 of those 3 guys, then you’ve opened up a roster spot for bench depth. The Phillies could’ve signed 3 guys instead of Harper, But there’s only 8 positions on the field. I’d rather have one elite player filling 1 roster spot, than 3 average guys taking up 3.
It’s either the Angels, or Phillies. Both are under ALOT of pressure to win, and Dombrowski likes to bring in marquee players.
The Phillies came out publicly and said they were going to spend stupid money. Now’s your chance!
Yanks haven’t dropped 300 on a player in two years. Long overdue for another.
…and now they have two, Stanton and Cole. How’s that working so far..
Wait for it
Wait for it
What happens when (IF) the Yankees sign Correa? What happens with LaMahieu? Is he now the 1B? But then what if they trade for Olson? Oh ok, I guess 1B is now out. Well he’s not an everyday 3b so that is not the answer. Oh I know ……trade Gleyber!!! And simply put one of the better 2b back at his natural position !
Not a bad infield I’d say
Any thoughts guy?
What is it currently…….Urshela, Torres, LeMahieu and Voigt??
If so, then I can see LeMahieu playing both corners while Urshela and Voigt platoon, essentially. Although, I think NY will end up trading Voigt & probably either resigning Rizzo or trading for Olson. Freeman will go back to Atlanta though. He’s just waiting for Atlanta to offer the 6th year. He already has at least one 6-yr offer on the table so that has to be what he’s waiting for, imho.
If they signed Correa, I mean. Then it’d basically be, LeMahieu, Correa, Torres & Urshela/Voigt. With the latter two being traded at some point once they lock in on a 1B upgrade.
Cardinals make a ton of sense to me. The Cubs or Phils could work but CHI needs pitching and I think PHI winds up with KBryant
I know this is ridiculous but Baltimore should make a splash.
Weren’t most people hear talking about what a pos Correa is and how they hope their favorite team never signs him just as recent as this last season ? I def remember haloangels mentioning he wouldn’t ever want a “cheater” on the angels. Now seems that’s all changed
Weren’t most people here talking about what a pos Correa is and how they hope their favorite team never signs him just as recent as this last season ? I def remember haloangels mentioning he wouldn’t ever want a “cheater” on the angels. Now seems that’s all changed
Well, you can remain confident I still feel that way about him, if it makes you feel any better.
That said, if the Yankees sign him, it does make them a better team. Nonetheless, I’d prefer a viable alternative solution.
Just an example-not a proposal: NYY and PHI could do a mega-trade Zack Britton, Gio Urshela, Luke Voit and Aaron Hicks for Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorius. Then NYY going after Carlos Correa.
Dodgers could make it work. Correa to SS, Trea Turner to 2B for the final year of his deal, Lux joins the Chris Taylor Jack of All Trades club for a season and then takes over 2B in 2023 after Turner FA’s his way outta town. BUT it’s more likely LA puts their bucks into their rotation.
Carlos Correa was a clutch hitter in post season games due to or thanks to the protection he had before and after him,in Houston batting order. (Just like Lindor in Cleveland expecting fast balls all the time or most of the time.) WAR is not an absolute advance metric and is way overstated too. It won’t consider games played, defensive shift effect on average and defensive range and errors is not considered either, nor protection on the line-up. We win baseball games based on run scores, not WAR. He has hit over .300 only once, in only 109 games; never has had a 30hr/100rbi’s season, never will. (Please note his post seasons statistics are based on a team effort and many, many games. Excellent statistics nevertheless, but first his team should get there.)
He is a leader, but his comments about Jeter and the cheating scandal, showed a lack of mouth filter or lack of vision or wisdom.
He is not a five or +six(mental and base running wisdom) tools player, nor a super star. He is a talented and a good player, full of injuries before his 27, and we should expect reasonable injuries as he get older.
He should sign in Japan or Korea for 2-3 years, and stop comparing his performance with others, except himself.
Good luck to Correa, a not Hall of Fame player for sure.
Hope no one signs him or any of those other greedy fkers…..
A quarter of a billion dollars to play baseball……?
Screw them.
They are screwing us and our culture.
What a waste of resources…… AMERICANS NEED TO START USING COMMON SENSE AGAIN.
BOYCOTT BASEBALL
BOYCOTT BS!
milb and Caribbean baseball is what I’ve been becoming more of a fan of. mlb is just greedy.
lol
What could your city or town do with a quarter of a billion dollars?
Spoken like a true Marxist
How did you get Mark’s zits?
May your eggnog be spiked with plenty of rum to get you through this holiday season of lockouts!. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Angels 250-300 million.
He is not on Tatis’s skill level. He does have age on his side
That’s what I have been saying. Arte Moreno loves to blow big bucks on big contracts, and he’s under pressure to get Trout a Championship. He’ll bite!
Do people really think that he’s going to get less than Seager?! Unless the new CBA screws over the players even more, I really don’t see it.
I guess I didn’t ask my question correctly
IF Yankees sign a SS, anywhere from Simmons ( ugh) to Correa……and IF they sign a 1B ……those two positions are filled
Torres is at 2b , then where is LeMahieu who is and must be an everyday player , just not at 3b.
He is not a good 3b in case nobody noticed. ‘20-‘21 a combined .930 fielding %
Torres must be traded in some kind of package and get LeMahieu back to his gold glove position of 2b
Thoughts anybody?
If the Yanks add a SS (Story, Correa, etc) & a 1B (Rizzo, Olsen, etc) this offseason, the only guy who becomes superfluous is Voit.
Still probably need Gleyber because he can handle short. Not very well, but he can play it. & remember: DJ was initially signed to be a Utility player. He can slide back to that role backing up 1B, 2B, & 3B. I think we can/would/should hold onto LeMahieu, Torres, & Urshela even if we add two infielders.
How I see it anyway.
I get that BUT if it’s Correa and either Rizzo or Olson…..those guys are going to play with the exception of a day off here or there. And injuries are never planned on.
I guess I just see DJ as an everyday guy ! But again if he goes to 3b we are back to a poor defensive option at the hot corner
If the Yankees sign Correa and Rizzo, they should put DJ at second and Urshela at third. At least they’d have a good defensive infield that way. They seem to always want to stack offensive players everywhere at the expense of defense. That’s the Mets recipe for failure. And nobody should follow anything the Mets do!
That’s kind of my point whyhayzee. Especially infield defense. Personally I am not a Torres fan but at the same time I do feel strongly his trade value is high ( for some teams) . Did somebody sat Oakland? Hhmmm m
Signing Story would be the worst thing they could do at SS. Yes, even worse than Simmons/Iglesias.
I pretty much see him playing in Detroit where he can stand behind Eduardo Rodriguez and try to figure out what time it is.
I know all the talk is about Yankees no.1 priority being SS. The guy we really need is Olson. Besides Guerrero and Freeman, show me a better 1B right now. Plus he’s 27 and a lefty and a defensive stud
Then sign a guy like slick fielding Iglesias to handle SS until Volpe and/or Peraza are ready. And Iglesias is a pretty good hitter. MUCH better than Simmons….and he does not strikeout too often. Although Peraza would be an ideal trade candidate right now. Oh wait, I forgot Cashman doesn’t trade can’t miss prospects !
I’m curious about Volpe being that he’s local (for me). Some were surprised that he went in the first round. I know someone I can ask (if I see him) to get a pretty accurate assessment of Volpe.
Also, I see Torres as a viable backup infielder. He’s trending downward offensively so I don’t know about his trade value. He may be more valuable where he is now.
If the Red Sox trading for JBJ is a signal, defense is a bit of a premium. Bloom is a pretty astute guy and generally on top of things. He may have been after the prospect(s) but that trade does say something.
Voit, Torres, Peraza …..for Olson
Correa has under-produced expectations most of his career. Whoever pays him $300mm+ will soon regret it.
Ten years for Correa is insane. His back won’t hold past 5. Give him 6 tops, will more than likely retire at the age of 34 – 35 max. He has a really good arm but is somewhat clumsy on his footwork. Save your money!!
The dark horse, in the Correa sweepstakes is none other than the Angels. They are under tremendous pressure to get Trout to the WS. Plus Justin Uptons contract is off the books after ’22, not to mention Arte Moreno can’t help blowing the dough on long term expensive mega deals. He can’t help himself. Don’t laugh, when this comes to fruition. The Angels NEVER splurge on pitching, so watch them go all in on Correa.
Angels need pitching.
They already added Thor and it sounds like Lorenzon may start as well. Aside from Grienke the best arms are already off the market anyway. Also, it’s been two years since Arte overspent on a hitter and you know that check writing finger is getting itchy
Infielder version of Jason Heyward.