Shortstop Carlos Correa needs to get paid for real this winter, so it’s no coincidence he hired Scott Boras to make sure that happens.
Correa is the top free agent left on the frozen (for now) free-agent marketplace. He dropped his previous agency William Morris Endeavor after its parent company got into the business of minor league baseball, which could cost the agency its MLB certification.
Besides, Boras is the absolute best at securing top dollar for his clients.
“I have made the decision to hire Boras Corporation to represent me moving forward. Boras Corporation offers the highest level of baseball expertise and proven experience,” Correa said via a statement.
Indeed, Boras has bargained one insane contract after another. He helped Our Town’s Max Scherzer cash in as well as Corey Seager, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Gerrit Cole.
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Boras also represents Correa's Astros cohorts Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.
Writing for USA Today, Bob Nightengale explains the challenge facing Boras once the lockout ends and commerce resumes:
Correa, the best player on the free-agent market, knows he deserves a more lucrative contract than Francisco Lindor’s 10-year, $341 million deal and certainly more than Corey Seager’s $325 million contract.
Yet, what if no one will give it to him?
What if the Dodgers believe that Trea Turner will be their shortstop, not only in 2022, but in the future?
What if the New York Yankees truly believe that prized shortstop prospects Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza are the real deal and aren’t interested in anything more than a fill-in for a few years?
What if the Houston Astros don’t move off their five-year, $160 million offer to Correa, insisting they won’t pay more than $200 million?
Where does Correa go, and will he have to take a short-term deal and hit the market again?
These are all tough questions for sure, but Boras tends to come up with very good answers.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering while Stetson Bennett IV continues living his unlikely dream:
- Will Paul DeJong’s new personal hitting coach teach him how to actually hit the baseball with his bat on a somewhat more consistent basis?
- With Pavel Buchnevich back, will the Russian line pick up where it left off for the Blues?
- Can the Billikens hit full stride with their back-to-back games against UMass?
TALKIN’ BASEBALL
Here what folks have been writing about Our National Pastime:
Nick Selbe, SI.com: “The longer the lockout lasts, the more speculation will swirl about the deep pocketed Yankees swooping in for big-name acquisitions. Star shortstops Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are still on the market, as is first baseman Freddie Freeman, who notably did not come to an agreement to re-sign with the Braves before the lockout freeze set in. The Yankees always have money to spend, and have not made any notable acquisitions yet this offseason. Signing any one of the players above would surely quell some rising frustration from the fanbase after the offseason headlines have been dominated by the Mets. If neither of those three end up in pinstripes, there are still viable options, including bringing back Anthony Rizzo. A trade could also be in the works. A’s first baseman Matt Olson is the biggest-name target potentially available as Oakland looks to rebuild. The A’s have already let Mark Canha, Starling Marte and Yan Gomes sign elsewhere, while two-time AL Manager of the Year Bob Melvin has left for San Diego. Olson is among the best hitters in the league and certainly would be a boon for the Yankees offense. The starting rotation could use some added depth as well, but it’s a safe bet that whenever teams are able to make moves, New York figures to be among the most active of the bunch.”
Mike Axisa, CBSSports.com: “Last spring the Dodgers legitimately had more MLB starters than rotation spots. Now they're a little short on pitching after losing Max Scherzer to free agency. Even re-signing franchise icon Clayton Kershaw would not answer the team's rotation questions given his lingering forearm concerns. Los Angeles is not desperate for pitching, but there is an obvious spot for another arm here . . . Intra-division trades are tricky, and it's almost impossible to understand what the Rockies are doing at any given moment, but in our fantasy world, German Marquez is a perfect fit for the Dodgers. I mean, he's a perfect fit for just about every team, but especially the Dodgers given his performance, durability, and affordable contract (owed $42.6 million through 2024, including option years). It seems to me the difficult part would not necessarily be finding common ground on a trade. It would be convincing the Rockies to trade Márquez in general, because they seem to think they’re going to contend in 2022. That's admirable, more teams should try to win each year, but it's unrealistic, especially in that division. Convincing Colorado they're not good and should trade their best player is more than half the battle.”
Alden Gonzalez, ESPN.com: “Six first basemen have attained nine-figure contracts in their 30s, and the results haven't necessarily been great. The megadeals for Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols became problems almost immediately. So did the one for Ryan Howard. Deals for Jason Giambi and Carlos Lee started off well but fizzled in the back halves. Then there's Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a five-year, $130 million extension with the St. Louis Cardinals in March of 2019, a deal that wouldn't begin until his age-32 season in 2020. He now serves as the best, most fitting comparison for Freddie Freeman, the five-time All-Star from the World Series champion Atlanta Braves, who surprisingly is still a free agent as Major League Baseball navigates an extended lockout. Goldschmidt produced like an elite first baseman in the first two years of his deal, boasting an .881 OPS while providing typically excellent defense, and there have been no real signs of a dramatic drop-off. Those things tend to happen quickly, suddenly. But the general hesitancy to splurge on slugging first basemen in recent years doesn't apply as strongly to Freeman, a naturally gifted hitter and a premier defender who isn't looking for a deal to take him through his late 30s or into his early 40s. The sticking point for Freeman, who turned 32 in September, seems to revolve around a sixth guaranteed year, which would mean getting paid among the highest at his position as late as his age-37 season. Will he deserve that kind of money by that point? Probably not. But teams know this when they break the bank for star players; the hope is to receive enough elite production on the front end to justify diminishing value on the back end.”
MEGAPHONE
"I don't think bewilderment is the right term, but I do feel like I'm lost in space that this happened to me, an honor like this. It's something I never dreamed of. You dream of being on a world championship team, you dream of being a batting champion or an MVP. The thought of having a number retired, I can tell you never crossed my mind as a kid growing up."
Former first baseman Keith Hernandez, on getting his number retired by the Mets.