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The Giants started this winter with the intention of discovering a brand new face of their franchise. They thought it will be a mighty slugger who beloved them rising up. As a substitute, it will likely be a famous person shortstop signing up for his third workforce in three years.
After lacking out on Aaron Decide on the winter conferences, they received their man late Tuesday evening.
Carlos Correa’s face might be plastered exterior Oracle Park for the subsequent decade and past.
Correa agreed to an enormous 13-year, $350 million contract, in response to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal, simply the most important in Giants historical past, is 4 years longer and solely $10 million in complete worth shy of what Decide acquired, although Correa is 2 years youthful. It’s going to pay Correa a mean of $26.9 million per yr via his age-40 season.
Whereas Correa, 28, can’t match the star energy of the reigning AL MVP who captivated the sports activities world along with his residence run chase, he brings as a lot — if no more — worth on the sphere. He comes with a Rookie of the Yr award, two All-Star appearances, a Platinum Glove, six seasons with an OPS over .800 and 5 with a minimum of 4.0 bWAR on his résumé, and is considered one of many smartest, most analytically pushed gamers within the sport.
He gained a World Collection in 2017 with Houston, the place he spent the primary seven years of his profession, but it surely was tarnished by the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. After taking a one-year deal in Minnesota final yr, nevertheless, Correa was considered a frontrunner within the Twins’ clubhouse — and might be anticipated to serve the identical position in San Francisco.
Including Correa to the combination also needs to solely stir up the Giants-Dodgers rivalry. The Astros’ opponent of their asterisk-marked World Collection? The Dodgers reportedly shied away from pursuing Correa over the incident.
Extra importantly, Correa offers the Giants their greatest enhance since shedding Buster Posey after the magical 2021 season, when San Francisco fought off Los Angeles for the NL West crown and made the Dodgers the winningest second-place finisher in baseball historical past earlier than falling to them within the postseason. In 2022, nevertheless, it was a distinct story, because the Giants misplaced extra video games to the Dodgers than in any season since shifting to San Francisco and missed the playoffs.
Final yr additionally introduced the bottom attendance in a non-pandemic yr because the Giants’ waterfront ballpark opened in 2000, including to the priority of a scarcity of starpower of their platoon-heavy lineup. However Correa ought to spark season-ticket gross sales, and the addition of Mitch Haniger confirmed a dedication to discovering on a regular basis gamers.
After falling quick of their pursuit of Decide, followers and figures across the sport alike started to query the Giants’ capacity to draw elite-level expertise on the open market. That they had beforehand been rejected by Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani in a protracted line of others. The addition of Correa can put that to relaxation.
The one free-agent deal in baseball historical past so long as Correa’s was the 13-year, $330 million deal Harper signed with Philadelphia, after turning down one other reported 13-year supply from the Giants. Correa’s contract additionally greater than doubles the file for the most important in franchise historical past, beforehand held by Buster Posey’s $159 million extension. Solely Decide ($360M), Mike Trout ($426.5M) and Mookie Betts ($365M) have ever been assured extra.
Correa, a Platinum and Gold Glove-winning shortstop, additionally raises the query for one participant who was handed the torch after Posey retired, Brandon Crawford, who hasn’t carried out something however play the place for the Giants since 2011, when Correa was an up-and-coming highschool prospect in Puerto Rico. Crawford, 35, has yet one more yr left on his contract and posted a .652 OPS final yr, greater than 200 factors decrease than his career-best mark in 2021.
Supervisor Gabe Kapler stated on the winter conferences that he had not mentioned shifting Crawford off shortstop, however the San Francisco Chronicle has reported that the Giants deliberate to make use of him at third base in the event that they signed Correa.
What’s clear is that the Giants intend to make use of their large capital from exploding media rights offers, savvy actual property investments and hardy ticket gross sales to compete on the prime of the NL West.
The Padres present no indicators of slowing down, including Xander Bogaerts on a virtually equally large deal this offseason; the D-backs are on the rise, with one of many youngest, most proficient outfields within the sport; and whereas the Dodgers have stayed quiet this offseason, they gained 111 video games final yr, and are seemingly solely resetting their luxurious tax penalties in preparation for a pursuit of Ohtani subsequent winter.
The Giants have assured $463 million in contracts this winter, simply eclipsing their earlier biggest-spending offseason, after they spent greater than $250 million on Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Denard Span.
They locked up Joc Pederson, who accepted a $19.65 million qualifying supply. They signed Haniger for $43.5 million over three years, and intend so as to add one other outfielder, in addition to a high-leverage reliever. And this week, they dedicated $50 million to 2 pitchers — Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling — in an try and fill the Rodón-sized gap of their rotation. With the addition of Correa, an upgraded roster is starting to take form.
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