Carlos Correa Plans To Enter Another Deep Free Agent Shortstop Pool

When the game of musical chairs among an unprecedented class of free agent shortstops ended in late March, Carlos Correa was left without a seat.

Correa signed a somewhat complicated contract with the Minnesota Twins on March 22, more than a week after the lockout-delayed spring training began.

Going into the offseason, Correa was one of four premium shortstops to hit the open market.

Corey Seager signed a 10-year, $325-million deal with the Texas Rangers. The Detroit Tigers signed Javier Baez to a six-year, $140-million contract and Trevor Story agreed to the same deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Story agreed to play second base because Boston already had Xander Bogaerts.

That left Correa to agree to a three-year contract worth $105.3 million that would pay him yearly salaries of $35.1 million from 2022-24. However, agent Scott Boras also had opt-out clauses put into the deal that would enable Correa to void the remainder of the contract after both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

While nothing is official, Correa told El Nuevo Dia earlier this week that he plans to void the recent of his contract and jump back into the free agent market this upcoming offseason. He would walk away from a guaranteed $70.2 million.

The move is a bit of a calculated risk as Correa could again find a soft market for his services. However, it is also understandable why Correa is willing to bet on himself.

The longtime Houston Astros stalwart had an outstanding offensive season for the Twins, hitting .291/.366/.467 in 136 games with 22 home runs. On the downside, he had three defensive runs saved after registering 20 for the Astros in 2021.

Despite playing eight seasons in the major leagues, Correa just turned 28 years old last month. He seemingly has many more good years ahead.

However, Correa will also be wading into another free agent pool again loaded with impact shortstops.

Bogaerts is expected to opt out of the final three years and $60 million of his six-year, $120-million contract with the Red Sox. He hit .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs in 150 games this season and had four defensive runs saved.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trea Turner should generate plenty of interest.

In 160 games, Turner had a .298/.343/.466 slash line, 21 homers, 100 RBIs and 27 steals. However, his fielding was questionable as he had -1 defensive runs saved.

The Atlanta Braves want to re-sign Dansby Swanson, but he can reach the open market five days after the World Series ends. Durability is certainly one of Swanson’s calling cards as he played in all 162 games during the regular season, hitting .277/.329/.447 with 25 homers, 18 stolen bases and nine defensive runs saved.

Bogaerts is 30 years old while Turner is 29 and Swanson is 28. All three are young enough to command long-term contracts.

Will the trio cause Correa to again be without a team when the offseason ends? Time will tell but it should be an interesting market to follow.