Carlos Correa has located a permanent residence. The storied shortstop is said to have signed a massive 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
According to the reported terms, this would be the biggest contract in Giants history, the most money ever committed to a position other than outfielder (such as shortstop), and the most a franchise has ever paid an outside free agent.
Correa discovered a market this offseason that was more to his taste, lavishing $300 million on Trea Turner and $280 million on Xander Bogaerts, and he ended up signing the second-largest deal, trailing only Aaron Judge's nine-year, $360 million agreement with the New York Yankees.
According to reports, Correa earned a full no-trade clause and a contract without any opt-outs, matching Bryce Harper's $330 million 13-year agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies in March 2019. Both players also received full opt-out protections.
The $350 million is more than the $340 million that shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. received from the San Diego Padres and the $341 million that shortstop Francisco Lindor received from the New York Mets.
Only Mike Trout's $426.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts' $365 million agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Aaron Judge's are worth more in baseball history.
After declining a five-year, $160 million deal from the Houston Astros, where Correa developed into a star, Correa earned more than twice that amount after spending just one season with the Minnesota Twins, where he earned $35.1 million before choosing to forego the final two years of his contract.
Correa hit like his old self during his one season with Minnesota. 136 games, 291/.366/.467, with 64 RBIs and 22 home homers.
Baseball-Reference.com rates Correa as one of the greatest defensive shortstops in the league after his fourth season with 5.0+ wins above replacement (WAR), despite the fact that he didn't match his Platinum Glove-winning 2021 campaign.
Because of Correa's position, age, and productivity in both the regular season and postseason, the Giants decided to pay him like a superstar, making him one of the highest-paid players in baseball.
The Giants had intended to make a deal for Judge, the current American League MVP, at baseball's winter meetings. However, the Yankees increased their offer to the required $40 million per year, and Judge decided to remain in New York.