San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters Friday it has been frustrating to not talk much publicly about the situation with shortstop Carlos Correa, who agreed to a megadeal with the team before the Giants backed out, reportedly because of medical concerns.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relayed some of Zaidi's remarks:

The suggestion here seems to be that physical uncovered new medical issue. (Which seems to have been the case for other teams too.)

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 30, 2022

Says organization entirely aligned on all matters throughout from ownership to front office etc. all on the same page. Says good faith effort on both sides to get a deal done.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 30, 2022

The Giants agreed to sign Correa to a 13-year, $350 million contract, but the deal fell through because of the team's concern over a medical issue.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the red flag was a broken right fibula Correa suffered during a minor league game in 2014. San Francisco was reportedly concerned about "the long-term stability of his leg—and the potential for Correa to quickly lose the mobility that won him a Platinum Glove in 2021."

According to Passan, Zaidi called Correa's agent, Scott Boras, with his concerns over the medical report the night before the team's planned introductory press conference. The Giants asked Boras for more time and postponed the press conference, and then they backed out of the 13-year deal.

Boras went public with his side.

"They said at that point in time they needed more information, they needed more discussion," the superagent told reporters. "They wanted to continue to talk, but at this time they couldn't go forward. And then I advised them that I had to pursue alternative measures on behalf of Carlos with other teams."

Correa then agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets, but the contract hasn't been finalized because they too have concerns following the physical, per Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

A source told Mike Puma of the New York Post on Monday that there was a 55 percent chance the deal would go through. The Post's Jon Heyman reported the contract "by all rights, should get done," noting both Correa and Mets owner Steve Cohen "badly" want to finalize it.

As for the Giants, it's been a frustrating offseason. They lost out on another superstar after pursuing American League MVP Aaron Judge, who decided to stay with the New York Yankees. San Francisco's 2022 ace, All-Star Carlos Rodón, is also a Yankee now after leaving in free agency.

San Francisco did strengthen its outfield, though, by signing Mitch Haniger, reportedly adding Michael Conforto and re-signing Joc Pederson. The Giants also added Sean Manaea to the starting rotation.

After losing Carlos Correa earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants are hoping Michael Conforto can provide a spark for their lineup.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Conforto has agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal with the Giants.

ESPN's Buster Olney added the deal includes an opt-out after the 2023 season.

Conforto profiled as a solid bounce-back candidate in 2022 before he underwent offseason shoulder surgery. His agent, Scott Boras, indicated in May he might sign with a team following July's MLB draft, which would remove any draft-pick compensation from his deal.

Nobody chose to take Boras up on the opportunity.

Even before the shoulder injury, Conforto saw his value take a big hit. The 29-year-old picked a bad time to have one of the worst years of his career.

Unlike new teammate Francisco Lindor, who signed a 10-year, $341 million deal, Conforto headed into Opening Day in 2021 without a new contract. New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson signaled the franchise's desire to keep the 2017 All-Star that March.

"We've had Conforto for many years," Alderson said, per the New York Post's Ken Davidoff. "He has not only become an excellent player, but also part of the leadership group within the clubhouse. He's represented the Mets for a long period of time and represented us well. I think if it's possible, we will make the effort to keep Michael with us."

He added the Mets weren't as aggressive as the Toronto Blue Jays in landing George Springer, who signed with Toronto for six years and $150 million, because a new deal for Conforto was part of the calculus.

On George Springer, Sandy Alderson says it really came down to willing to go five years, but not six. He also adds, "had we signed Springer, probably less likely we'd be able to sign Conforto, for example."

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) March 1, 2021

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported in April 2021 that Conforto might look to sign for $200 million or more, eclipsing the total Springer received.

His performance ultimately didn't help his bargaining position with the Mets or any other team interested in his services.

In 125 games, Conforto had 14 home runs, 55 RBI and a .232/.344/.384 slash line. According to FanGraphs, his .322 weighted on-base average was 30 points lower than his career average (.352).

The Mets offense as a whole was a bit of mess and failed to live up to expectations. Hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater were both fired in the middle of the season.

Lindor saw his batting average slip all the way to .230. Dominic Smith slugged .525 and .616 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, before finishing with a .363 slugging percentage in 2021. Jeff McNeil saw his on-base percentage fall from .383 to .317. In short, Conforto wasn't the only one who struggled at the plate.

Prior to 2021, he was a consistent producer in New York's lineup, so that year may be a bit of an outlier. Per Baseball Savant, his .249 expected batting average was only fractionally worse than his career number (.251), while his expected slugging (.428) was a more pronounced drop from the .463 he has posted since 2015.

The shoulder injury is obviously a massive variable. He might have a clean bill of health now, but nobody can know for sure whether he'll rebound. He may never be the same player after the surgery.

As a short-term gamble, signing Conforto is a worthwhile risk for San Francisco because he was so good from 2017-20. His demand for $200 million looks laughable in retrospect, but his market value before the 2021 season arguably wasn't much below that.

The possible upside justifies the Giants' investment.

As much as this move could help San Francisco, there's no salvaging what has been a disastrous offseason for the franchise.

Carlos Rodón, the ace of the staff, signed with the New York Yankees. That came after Aaron Judged opted to re-sign with the Bronx Bombers having entertained overtures from the Giants. The final insult came as Correa left San Francisco at the altar and signed with the New York Mets instead.

Conforto could make a major difference for a team in need of outfield help, but it already feels like the 2023 season is a lost cause for the Giants.

The San Francisco Giants were involved in the most shocking offseason turn of events this week when they held up their deal with star shortstop Carlos Correa over a medical concern, opening the door for him to sign with the New York Mets.

On Thursday, ESPN's Jeff Passan shed light on the thought process behind San Francisco's hesitation, revealing the team had concerns over Correa's lower right leg following his physical examination. The 28-year-old had broken his fibula in 2014 on a slide during a minor league game, which led to surgery.

Passan noted that the Giants' fear "concerned the long-term stability of his leg—and the potential for Correa to quickly lose the mobility that won him a Platinum Glove in 2021."

The assertion likely came as a shock to Correa, who had agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal on Dec. 13. Per Passan, his surgically repaired leg was an injury he "hadn't thought about in years, and suddenly it was putting in jeopardy the fourth-largest guaranteed contract in North American sports history."

Correa's agent, Scott Boras, dismissed the notion that an injury from eight years ago could affect his client down the line, pointing out that Correa received a 10-year contract offer from the Minnesota Twins, with whom he played the 2022 season.

"If a team familiar with his medical history was willing to offer Correa a decade-long contract, [Boras'] reasoning went, how bad could the injury really be?" Passan wrote.

The Mets swooped in and signed Correa to a 12-year, $315 million contract. It was another heartbreaker for San Francisco this offseason after its failed pursuit of American League MVP Aaron Judge, who re-signed with the New York Yankees.

The Giants are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season in which they finished with an 81-81 record and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years.

After losing out on star shortstop Carlos Correa, the San Francisco Giants are left to scour the open market for free agents who can improve their roster.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have "some interest" in veteran outfielder Michael Conforto, who hasn't played since the 2021 season.

The Giants had reached an agreement with Correa on a 13-year, $350 million deal, which would have tied Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper for the longest contract in MLB history. However, Correa's agent told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that San Francisco had a "difference of opinion" regarding Correa's physical examination.

The hesitation from the Giants opened the door for Boras to engage in negotiations with the New York Mets, and Correa was signed to a $12-year, $315 million contract overnight. Slusser noted that Conforto is also represented by Boras.

Conforto underwent surgery on his shoulder in April and decided to sit out the 2022 season with hopes of returning in 2023. The 29-year-old played the first seven years of his career with the Mets after making his major-league debut in 2015. He rejected a qualifying offer from New York after the 2021 season.

The last time Conforto was on the field, he put up some of the worst numbers of his career. In 2021, he hit .232/.344/.384 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in 125 games.

The Giants aren't alone in their interest in Conforto. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday that the Mets, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays were all pursuing the veteran outfielder.

Carlos Correa's introductory press conference with the San Francisco Giants was postponed after a "medical concern arose" regarding his physical, according to a report from Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

Per Blum, "One person confirmed that Tuesday's conference to welcome Correa was put on hold because the sides were awaiting the results of testing. A second person said that a medical issue was flagged during Correa's physical."

Correa, 28, signed a massive 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants on Dec. 13, one of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason.

He was one of many prominent players to take advantage of free agency; Trea Turner joined the Philadelphia Phillies, Justin Verlander signed with the New York Mets, Xander Bogaerts went to the San Diego Padres and Jacob deGrom inked with the Texas Rangers.

While Correa's talent is unmistakable, injuries have been an issue throughout his career, as he's only played 150 or more games in a regular season once. The fact that the press conference that was set for 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday was canceled will only add greater concern to the proceedings.

I’m told that whatever was or not flagged during his physical, Carlos Correa does *not* have a back issue.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 20, 2022

When healthy, Correa has been excellent throughout his career. The two-time All-Star, one-time champion and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year hit .291 with 22 homers, 64 RBI, 70 runs and a .834 OPS across 136 games in his lone season with the Minnesota Twins last year. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Houston Astros.

For San Francisco, Correa was just about the best consolation prize imaginable after failing to lure Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees, who grew up as a fan of the Giants. Judge chose to remain in the Big Apple on a massive nine-year, $360 million deal.

But the Giants, looking to bolster their lineup, appeared to have locked down Correa, signed slugger Mitch Haniger and retained Joc Pederson. Now, the Correa addition is in some question.

San Francisco Giants veteran Brandon Crawford is arguably the greatest shortstop in franchise history, but the arrival of star free agent Carlos Correa presents a different challenge for the 35-year-old.

The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly reports that Crawford was informed he will be switching positions this offseason and Correa, who signed a 13-year, $350 million deal on Tuesday, will be San Francisco's everyday shortstop.

Per Baggarly, Crawford received a phone call from team president Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler "less than 15 minutes" after news broke of Correa's signing. Prior to that, there were no discussions of the four-time Gold Glove winner switching positions.

Despite his surprise, Crawford seemed to take the news in stride in a text to Baggarly:

"With the signing of a player as good as Carlos, our team definitely got much better. He's been one of the better players in the league for years, and it's obviously exciting to get a player of his caliber to San Francisco. That being said, he is a shortstop and since the signing the other day, I've been told that that's where he'll stay, so that puts me in a much different situation than I've ever been faced with in professional baseball. So, the rest of this off-season, spring training, and during the season, I will be working my hardest to be the best I can be at a different position and help us get back to the postseason."

While Crawford is likely better suited to moving to second or third base to facilitate the addition of Correa, Baggarly wrote that Crawford "declined to address what his role could be or what position would represent the easiest transition, saying he has been given a rough outline but conversations are still in the beginning stages."

Crawford has spent his entire 12-year major league career with the Giants. He's a three-time All-Star and helped lead San Francisco to two World Series titles in 2012 and 2014. His 1,525 games exclusively at shortstop trails only Derek Jeter (2,674), Luis Aparicio (2,581), Ozzie Smith (2,511), Elvis Andrus (1,906) and J.J. Hardy (1,544).

The 2023 season is the final year on Crawford's contract, and Baggarly noted that there's a chance he considers retirement next winter.

The left-handed hitter is coming off a down year in 2022, hitting .231 with nine homers and 52 RBI. He hopes to return to the 2021 form that saw him hit .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI to finish fourth in NL MVP voting.

The San Francisco Giants may have wanted Aaron Judge, but Carlos Correa was always the guy they needed.

Bully for them, then, that Correa's the guy they got. As ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report late Tuesday night, the Giants came to terms with the decorated shortstop on a 13-year contract that will pay out $350 million.

Breaking: Carlos Correa agrees to a 13-year, $350M deal with the Giants, per @JeffPassan 💰 @BRWalkoff pic.twitter.com/n9qFIDUUp6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022

In contrast to the opt-out-laden deal that Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins in March, this one's pretty much for life. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the 28-year-old's pact with the Giants features full no-trade protection and no opt-outs. He's locked in to play in the Bay Area through his age-40 season in 2035.

He'll certainly be well-compensated. The $350 million guarantee puts Correa at the high end of what he was reportedly seeking last winter, not to mention atop the heap among the highest paid shortstops in history.

If reports of their $360 million offer to Judge are accurate, the Giants have nonetheless saved money in pivoting to Correa after the reigning American League MVP returned to the New York Yankees. And that's just one way that that outcome was for the best.

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Aaron Judge Never Made Much Sense for the Giants

To be frank, the Giants' interest in Judge always smacked of corporate types saying, "Let's get this guy because he'll make us money," rather than baseball operations types saying, "Let's get this guy because he'll help us win games."

Joel Sherman of the New York Post indeed suggested as much in November, writing that the Giants' higher-ups craved a star who could draw 'em out like Barry Bonds used to in the early 2000s.

At least on paper, Judge was an ideal solution. A 6'7", 282-pound slugger fresh off hitting an American League-record 62 home runs, and from nearby Linden to boot? That's a draw, all right.

And yet, something a rival executive said to Heyman sums up how awkward of a fit Judge and the Giants were: "He's going to leave the greatest market to go across country to a team where it's hard to hit homers? Come on."

No disrespect to the awesome power in Judge's bat, but Yankee Stadium surely helped amplify his home run output. Oracle Park is not known to do such things, particularly for right-handed sluggers.

Besides, Judge is a guy with a concerning injury history who's pushing 31. Whoever signed him was going to be committing to a win-now window, which would have been an odd thing for the Giants to do on the heels of an 81-81 effort in 2022.

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Carlos Correa Makes Tons of Sense for the Giants

Signing Correa, on the other hand, isn't strictly a win-now move. It's much more one of the win-now-and-later variety.

Unless he's planning on putting on Michael Lorenzen-ian levels of bulk so he can also pursue home run history, Correa's ceiling doesn't go quite as high as Judge's. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a contemporary superstar with a higher floor, as it's not by accident that Correa has averaged 7.2 rWAR per 162 games throughout his eight MLB seasons.

As evidenced by his well-above-average 129 OPS+ and 18 career postseason home runs, the guy can hit no matter the time of year. The guy can also field, for which you can see his 70 defensive runs saved since 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYq_Rf5TFcI

Correa likewise boasts less quantifiable qualities, such as how he carries himself in the clubhouse. It's telling how strong of an impression he made on his fellow Twins despite only being with them for a few months.

"[Correa] studies players; he studies the game," Nick Gordon told Dan Hayes of The Athletic. "It's the type of player you are, the type of player you want to be, things like that. Potential. He can just see. He sees. He's got an eye for the game. It can be anything, baseball, non-baseball, whatever. It really doesn't matter."

This is a guy the Giants can build around, even if it involves shifting Brandon Crawford to third base in the near term and perhaps Correa himself there in the long term. He's young enough that the Giants should still have years before they have to worry about that. And once they do, they'll need not worry about whether his arm will play at the hot corner.

What's more, Correa didn't cost the Giants any draft picks, as he was ineligible for a qualifying offer, and the structure of his contract is surely conducive to team-building. His $26.9 million average annual value is far short of the $40 million per year Judge got.

That's advantageous in many ways, but particularly as it relates to AAV-driven luxury-tax calculations.

The extra flexibility could come in handy in any number of ways, be they unforeseeable or very much seeable. For instance, potential runs at Rafael Devers or Shohei Ohtani on next winter's free-agent market look that much more feasible.

As for whether Correa himself will be good for business, the Giants don't need him to be. They're getting more than $100 million per year just from TV deals, or enough for basically four Correas.

But if he does boost ticket sales, well, it wouldn't be for the first time:

The Twins have sold more than 100,000 single-game, group tickets and Twins Passes since the news of Carlos Correa's signing broke.

— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) March 23, 2022

If this particular brand of history repeats itself, it may not be simply because Giants fans also want to turn out for a guy whose credentials include a Rookie of the Year, two All-Star nods, a Gold Glove and a World Series ring.

Correa figures to be that much more of a draw when the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town, as the very real hate they have for him down there is all the more reason for Giants fans to have his back.

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Are the Giants a Contender Now, Though?

It's all well and good that the Giants have made a sensible long-term gamble on Correa, but the question remains: Does he put them over the hump in the here and now?

If it were just him, no way. But it's not just him, as the Giants had been loading up their offense and pitching even before they agreed to write a $350 million check:

The Giants are all of a sudden having a huge offseason: Carlos Correa, Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger, Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea. They are still looking for bullpen help, but the heavy lifting is done.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 14, 2022

Though the absence of ace left-hander Carlos Rodón—who pitched to a 2.88 ERA over 178 innings for the Giants in 2022—still looms large, that's a good haul that has the Giants looking that much better in relation to National League rivals.

FanGraphs, for example, gives them the eighth-highest WAR projection of any NL team for 2023. Not great but seemingly within the margin of error for a pursuit of the league's three wild-card berths.

This is also assuming that the Giants are done shopping, and they might not be. They have about $26.7 million worth of breathing room between them and the first luxury-tax threshold for 2023. That's plenty to accommodate the club's remaining needs, such as a proper center fielder and a late-inning arm.

To squeeze this long story down into a short one: The Giants look a heck of a lot better than they did at the end of the '22 season. Their new shortstop is but one reason.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The San Francisco Giants finally made their free-agent splash Tuesday night by reportedly signing Carlos Correa to the largest-ever contract for a shortstop in terms of total dollars.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Giants inked Correa to a 13-year, $350 million deal, giving them the big fish they were seeking after losing out on their pursuit of outfielder Aaron Judge to the New York Yankees.

Given their market size, the Giants had a fairly modest payroll before the Correa signing, with Spotrac listing it at $112.9 million. When adding in Correa's projected yearly salary of $26,923,077, San Francisco's payroll jumps up to $139,823,077.

The move also beefed up the Giants' offensive firepower significantly, giving them a projected lineup that could look like this:

1. Mike Yastrzemski - CF
2. Carlos Correa - SS
3. Mitch Haniger - RF
4. Joc Pederson - LF
5. Brandon Crawford - DH
6. J.D. Davis - 3B
7. Wilmer Flores - 1B
8. Thairo Estrada - 2B
9. Joey Bart - C

While president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi likely still has some work to do, the acquisitions of Correa and Haniger in free agency should help the Giants improve on their 81-81 record from last season.

While San Francisco was only an average team that failed to reach the playoffs last season, it posted an MLB-best 107-55 record the previous season, beating out the rival Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League West.

The current team is far different from that 2021 squad, however, as catcher Buster Posey is retired, first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Evan Longoria are free agents, and starting pitcher Kevin Gausman is with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Also, veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford was the Giants' best offensive player that season, hitting .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI, and following the acquisition of Correa, it is possible he could be traded before the start of the 2023 campaign.

San Francisco has been busy this offseason with the signings of Correa, outfielder Mitch Haniger and starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea, but it can be argued that the team's overall improvement is negligible if Belt, Longoria and starting pitcher Carlos Rodón all leave in free agency.

Correa gives the Giants an established star at the shortstop position, though, and someone with plenty of winning experience.

In eight MLB seasons with the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins, Correa is a two-time All-Star, one-time Gold Glove Award winner and one-time World Series winner. He has also taken part in the playoffs in six separate seasons.

Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs, 64 RBI and 70 runs scored in his only season with the Twins in 2022, and for his career, he is hitting .279 with 155 homers, 553 RBI and 508 runs in 888 games.

Signing Judge likely would have made a far bigger impact and given the Giants a true anchor for their lineup, but Correa was arguably the top position player available outside of Judge, and the 28-year-old veteran should be a key player for a long time to come.

The addition may not be enough to knock the Dodgers from their perch in the NL West, but the Giants do at least seem to be inching closer to playoff contention compared to where they were last season.