Carlos Correa Is Sitting Pretty with a Massive Pay Day Coming

Shortstop Carlos Correa has watched his peers sign some major free agent deals over the past few days, but he may be sitting pretty with the way the market has been set. 

Correa, 27, is the youngest of the big-name shortstops on the market, and he just watched Corey Seager, the player closest to him in comparison, receive a 10-year, $325 million deal from the Texas Rangers on Monday. 

Correa is coming off one of the best years of his career, where he hit .279 with 26 homers (career-high) and 92 runs batted in. Correa is also arguably the best defensive shortstop on the market this offseason, as he posted a career-high 2.9 dWAR (defensive wins above replacement) in the 2021 season. 

After Seager and Marcus Semien signed massive deals with the Texas Rangers and Javy Baez received six years, $140 million despite his penchant for striking out, Correa stands to cash in. 

The question for Correa now becomes which team. Could the Houston Astros bring him back? Will he join a rival in the New York Yankees? Or could he go play for his old manager A.J. Hinch in Detroit?

There are several teams in the market for a shortstop still, and with teams looking to finalize deals before a potential lockout this week, Correa has plenty of leverage to reset the market among his peers this offseason.