Carlos Correa is going to get paid. It’s just a matter of how much.
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The Houston Astros star headlines a bumper crop of free-agent shortstops, which also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story, Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.
The 27-year-old Correa, a two-time All-Star, could be the most popular of the free-agent shortstops, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Tigers, led by former Astros manager AJ Hinch, will be one of the teams looking for a shortstop. The Rangers, Mariners, Yankees, Phillies, Angels and Cardinals might be among the others.
So the question then turns to how much it will take to sign Correa, who already turned down offers from the Astros.
But the two offers Correa said Crane made last offseason – six years, $120 million, then five years, $125 million – were woefully inadequate. Crane has signed Altuve and Alex Bregman to lengthy extensions, but the longest free-agent contract he has awarded in his decade as owner was the four-year, $52 million deal Josh Reddick signed before the 2017 season. Correa might get five or six times that amount.
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Correa getting a $300-million deal isn’t at all outrageous, if you look at the current financial landscape for the shortstop market. Before the 2021 season, the San Diego Padres signed Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340 million deal and the Mets gave Francisco Lindor a 10-year, $341 million contract.
Whether the Yankees want to spend that much remains to be seen. After all, the club already has a pair of $300-million contracts (Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton) and right fielder Aaron Judge is due for a long-term contract extension.
It’s entirely possible general manager Brian Cashman passes on the big-name free agents and opts for a short-term fix while waiting for prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza to be ready for their MLB debut.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.