First Pitch: Carlos Correa’s mega-contract has 3 winners and 1 clear loser
By Mark Powell
Just before midnight on the East Coast, Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract. Correa bet on himself, and won.
Carlos Correa’s contract will have huge ramifications for the rest of the free-agent market, and soon-to-be top free-agent shortstops in the seasons to come. With his 13-year, $350 million deal, Correa signed the fourth-largest contract in league history, and the largest ever by a shortstop, topping the likes of Francisco Lindor.
The 28-year-old literally reset the market.
Correa was forced to bet on himself after last year’s free agency did not go according to plan. MLB owners were strict in their spending habits, and would not give in to the $300 million Correa wanted. That’s why he took on a short-term, high AAV deal with the Twins, a deal that paid off thanks to an opt out after the first year.
Still, Correa’s contract is bound to break some hearts in the Midwest. The business side of baseball is tough that way.
Carlos Correa contract: 3 winners and a clear loser
Carlos Correa and Scott Boras win again
Carlos Correa couldn’t exit this free-agency period without a $300 million contract, and more importantly, Scott Boras needed to execute such a deal for his client.
Boras has an aura to him as MLB prime super-agent. He’s often the leak you see in stories across the baseball industry in regards to contract signings, especially if they involve his clients. It’s just how the business works. But Boras also brings with him the kind of fear and bravado that is necessary when talking numbers at a long table. And we’re talking life-changing numbers, even for a man as rich as Correa.
For Correa, San Francisco is now his long-term home. Things works out perfectly for the shortstop, as the Giants had plenty of money to spend after missing out on Aaron Judge. They needed a ‘face of the franchise’ type player, and they received one in Correa.