Carlos Correa

Free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa and his wife Daniella announced the birth of their first child, Kylo Daniel. The couple posted identical photos on Instagram, revealing that their son was born on Nov. 29.

"You’ve changed my life forever. I LOVE YOU, my SON," Carlos wrote in his caption. "Happy 2nd Anniversary @daniellardzz. You’re the rock of this family. Thank you for being the funniest and the hardest worker in the house."

"I never knew love like this existed. You are literally what I breathe for now," Daniella wrote. "Happy 2nd Anniversary to the man that made me a mother @teamcjcorrea."

Carlos and Daniella became engaged at the conclusion of the 2017 World Series, when the then-Houston Astros star proposed during the championship celebration. The couple got married late in 2019.

Correa, who was with the Astros since 2015, is a free agent for the first time in his career. The two-time All-Star is awaiting the end of the MLB lockout so he can negotiate a new contract with the team of his choosing.

Free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa has received interest from the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency.

Mark Berman of Fox 26 noted Correa previously received a five-year, $160 million offer from the Houston Astros.

Major League Baseball is preparing for a lockout to begin Thursday at midnight ET, meaning Correa would have to get a deal done by 11:59 p.m. ET. No contracts will be able to be agreed upon once the lockout begins, which would leave Correa and the other remaining free agents at a standstill with no obvious end date.

Fellow shortstops Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million) and Javier Baez (six years, $140 million) agreed to megadeals late last month as agents and teams scrambled to get deals done. While MLB free agency has regularly been a waiting game in years past, legitimate concern over CBA negotiations has led to urgency around the league.

Correa is coming off the best season of his career, which saw him hit .279/.366/.485 with 26 home runs and 92 runs batted in while playing Gold Glove defense at shortstop. He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting and made his second All-Star team.

Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News previously reported Correa was looking for a deal that approaches the $341 million pact signed by Francisco Lindor with the New York Mets during last season. 

It doesn't appear likely that any team will match that price, which may explain why Correa is still on the market while other high-profile shortstops have already signed.  

Former Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is arguably the best free agent remaining on the market, but he's in no rush to sign a new contract.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports that Correa is "comfortable" with not getting a deal done before the impending MLB lockout. The league and MLB Player's Association have until 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement. A potential lockout could lead to the tax threshold increasing, and Heyman noted that would benefit Correa.

Heyman also added that Correa is generating interest for a potential move to third base. Correa is one of the premier shortstops in MLB, winning the first American League Platinum Glove award of his career this past season. Heyman said Correa is believed to be "terrific" at the hot corner and he would consider switching positions for "the perfect situation."

Correa is coming off one of the best seasons of his seven-year career. The 27-year-old batted .279 with 26 home runs and 92 RBI while recording a career-high 7.2 WAR. He was named to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career and helped lead Houston to its third World Series appearance in the last five years.

Correa declined an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Astros to test the open market, and he became the headliner of a free-agent class full of high-profile shortstops. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager chose to sign with the Texas Rangers while Javy Baez landed with the Detroit Tigers.

After shortstop Francisco Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million extension with the New York Mets this past season, Correa is likely next in line to become MLB's $300-million man.

Besides Correa, former Colorado Rockies star Trevor Story is the only other top shortstop who remains unsigned.

Two-time All-Star Carlos Correa hasn't completely closed the door on returning to the Houston Astros. 

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Correa is still in contact with the Astros as he continues to explore offers in free agency.

Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reported on Nov. 6 that Houston proposed a five-year, $160 million contract to the Puerto Rico native.

It's unclear if the Astros have changed that offer in subsequent talks with Correa. 

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman previously acknowledged the team has met with representatives for "most" of the top free-agent shortstops, including Correa's. 

The Detroit Tigers, who are managed by former Astros skipper A.J. Hinch, were rumored to have interest in Correa. However, they agreed to a six-year, $140 million deal with Javier Baez on Tuesday, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

The market for elite shortstops has exploded over the past nine months. Fernando Tatis Jr. set the first benchmark when he signed a 14-year extension with the San Diego Padres worth $340 million in February. 

Francisco Lindor surpassed that in April with a 10-year, $341 million extension from the New York Mets. 

On Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Corey Seager agreed to a 10-year, $325 million deal with the Texas Rangers. 

Correa has a strong argument that he's the best player among this quartet. The 27-year-old ranks third among all qualified shortstops in FanGraphs wins above replacement (25.1) since 2015, behind Lindor (32.1) and Xander Bogaerts (31.4). 

Among all shortstops with a minimum of 2,000 plate appearances since 2015, Correa ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.356) and fifth in slugging percentage (.481). He was an elite defender in 2021 with 20 defensive runs saved, earning his first career Gold Glove award. 

Correa has shown himself to be more durable over the past two seasons with just 16 games missed after sitting out a total of 192 games from 2017-19 because of injuries. 

No team knows Correa as well as the Astros. They selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft. He was named AL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and helped the franchise win the World Series in 2017.