MLB rumors: Yankees’ potential free-agent target rejects qualifying offer, hits open market

It’s officially official: Carlos Correa is a free agent.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports “Star free agent SS Carlos Correa has now officially declined the Astros’ $18.4M qualifying offer.”

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This means the Houston Astros will receive draft-pick compensation should Correa sign elsewhere.

The New York Yankees are one of the many suitors lining up to chase the 27-year-old Correa, who’s a two-time All-Star and former Gold Glove Award winner.

On Thursday at the GM Meetings in Carlsbad, Calif., NJ Advance Media’s Brendan Kuty reported Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged Correa is a “great player” and that it’s his job to “assess him as well as the others that are available and act accordingly.”

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden believes both the Yankees and Boston Red Sox could be among the suitors for Correa, who hit a career-high 26 home runs in 2021, helping the Astros reach the American League Championship Series for the fifth straight year.

In addition to Correa, this winter’s bumper crop of free-agent shortstops includes Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story, Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and New York Mets’ Javier Baez.

Seager and Semien also rejected qualifying offers; Story is expected to follow suit (he faces a Wednesday deadline). Baez wasn’t eligible for the qualifying offer since he was a midseason trade acquisition.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel released his projected contracts for the free-agent shortstops, as did Bowden. Across the board, McDaniel came in lower than Bowden.

Seager

McDaniel: 7 years, $210 million

Bowden: 10 years, $320 million

Correa

McDaniel: 9 years, $297 million

Bowden: 10 years, $300 million

Story

McDaniel: 5 years, $115 million

Bowden: 7 years, $204 million

Baez

McDaniel: 1 year, $25 million

Bowden: 6 years, $172 million

Semien

McDaniel: 5 years, $110 million

Bowden: 5 years, $148 million

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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.