Carlos Correa is one of the top players available in MLB free agency this winter, and the two-time All-Star is expected to have many teams vying to bring his services to their city in the coming weeks.
While a lot of the attention for this class on MLB free agency has been on New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and ace pitchers Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander, the shortstop market this year is stacked.
There are four current or former All-Stars at the position up for grabs and Carlos Correa is arguably the best of the bunch. At only 28 years old, he has the track record and prime years ahead that makes him worth the major investment into will take to acquire him.
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Carlos Correa had another strong season in 2022 as he posted some of the best numbers of his career in key categories like average (.291), on-base percentage (.336), hits (152), home runs (22) and walks (61). That’s why, despite some worries about staying healthy in the future, he maintained his high value, exercised the option in his new Minnesota Twins contract, and is back on the market for a second straight year.
5 possible landing spots for Carlos Correa in MLB free agency
While many organizations would love to have Carlos Correa manning the shortstop spot in 2023, few teams will be able to afford the close to $30 million annual fee is expected to get. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five teams with the best chance to win the Correa sweepstakes.
New York Yankees
The primary focus of this offseason for the New York Yankees is to re-sign homegrown superstar Aaron Judge. However, that may not be where their business ends this winter ends. They have been linked to several big names over the last couple of weeks, including deGrom, Verlander, and Japanese ace Kodai Senga.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that among some executives and insiders around the league, New York is the favorite to sign the shortstop. While the two have not been linked much this winter, signing Correa would be the type of bold MLB free-agent move the organization has a long history of.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres showed the baseball world when they traded for Juan Soto that they are all in on trying to get to the World Series in the next couple of years. That pursuit will continue with more moves this winter.
The organization reportedly reached out to Xander Bogaerts’ representatives in November. However, signing the Red Sox star would cost them very valuable draft picks due to qualifying offer compensation. That wouldn’t be the case for Correa, who has equal talent and championship-winning experience.
Chicago Cubs
Over the last few years, the Chicago Cubs have been surprisingly quiet when it comes to making big moves in free agency or trades. However, many expect that to end this offseason. In the early days of the hot stove period, the team was rumored to be very active in the shortstop market.
Correa would be a strong choice as he could bring a needed veteran with championship experience to the roster and give them the extra big bat in the lineup they could use, and gold glove defense in the infield.
- Carlos Correa stats (2022): .291 AVG, .366 OBP, .467 SLG, 22 HR, 64 RBI, 70 R
Minnesota Twins
While Carlos Correa spurned the Twins by exercising his yearly opt-out after just one year, he is still believed to be the organization’s top priority in MLB free agency. They surprised MLB observers when they signed him last winter, and they could very well shock again by paying a little more to re-sign him.
San Franciso Giants
The San Francisco Giants have always been expected to be major players this offseason, and they have eyes for the biggest fish in this market, Aaron Judge. However, there have been rumors they may not stop there if they do sign the reigning American League MVP.
However, if they strike out on Judge they will certainly need to add another star and Correa would be a pretty good consolation prize for failing in the Judge sweepstakes.