MLB

The San Francisco Giants have made shortstop Carlos Correa their "top priority" in free agency, and they are the front-runners to land the highly coveted player, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The consensus around the industry is that the Giants are in the driver's seat for Correa, given their financial flexibility and need for a big name," Slusser reported.

The Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are also considered potential contenders to sign Correa.

Correa spent last season with the Twins, hitting .291 with 22 home runs and an .834 OPS. He played his first seven years with the Houston Astros, earning two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove award and a World Series title in 2017.

In 2021, the shortstop finished fifth in voting for the AL MVP award when he hit .279 with 26 home runs and 92 RBI.

After signing a three-year contract with opt-outs last offseason, Correa is now seeking a long-term deal this winter. Fellow shortstops Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts have already signed 11-year contracts with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, respectively.

Correa and Dansby Swanson are the two biggest hitters still available in free agency, putting pressure on teams to close a deal before the top options run out.

The Giants have been looking to make a splash this offseason with a big-name addition, as Maria Guardado of MLB.com reported in November. They were heavily involved in the sweepstakes for Aaron Judge and offered him a contract in the "neighborhood" of $360 million, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Judge, a Northern California native, instead decided to re-sign with the Yankees for the same amount of money.

The Giants are clearly willing to spend, but they have so far been unable to land a top free agent. Correa could change that and improve a roster that went 81-81 last season.

The Boston Red Sox have a huge hole to fill after losing star shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres. Fortunately, the team can pivot by pursuing one of the best free agents remaining on the market.

Carlos Correa, who spent the 2022 season with the Minnesota Twins after playing the first seven years of his major-league career with the Houston Astros, would be a more-than-suitable replacement for Bogaerts in Boston's infield. He also has a strong relationship with Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was Houston's bench coach during its World Series championship run in 2017.

The only way I’m okay with letting Xander Bogaerts walk in free agency if I’m the Red Sox is if I give Rafael Devers a blank check to sign and bring in Carlos Correa.

Make it happen. pic.twitter.com/rfm729PQsN

— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) December 8, 2022

You have to think the Red Sox will pivot to Carlos Correa, who is extremely close with Alex Cora. https://t.co/Cz5cXCWW2x

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) December 8, 2022

As one of the more popular names in this year's free-agent class, Correa won't have a shortage of suitors. The Red Sox will face a ton of competition for the 28-year-old, and the team's recent spending habits indicate it's not looking to break the bank.

Bogaerts left for San Diego for a reported $280 million deal over 11 years. The four-time All-Star was considered the face of the franchise, but Boston deemed him too expensive and let him walk. Correa, who is younger and a better defender than Bogaerts, will likely command a similar price or higher.

If the Red Sox are looking for a cheaper option, they could turn to Atlanta Braves free-agent shortstop Dansby Swanson. The 28-year-old is coming off a career year in which he earned his first trip to the All-Star Game and first Gold Glove Award. Boston could look to offer him a short-term deal with a high average annual value in order to address other holes on its roster.

After shoring up their bullpen by signing closer Kenley Jansen on Wednesday, the Red Sox still need to add a reliable starting pitcher to its rotation. The team could look to bring back veteran Nathan Eovaldi, who is a free agent after spending the last four-plus years in Boston, but there are more attractive options on the open market.

Carlos Rodón is the best pitcher available and can be the ace of Boston's staff, but the question remains as to how much the team is willing to spend. Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt are both dependable starters and would be strong additions to any rotation. Veterans like Corey Kluber and Noah Syndergaard would be cheaper, but riskier, players to target.

The Red Sox have finished last in the AL East twice in the last three years, so this offseason will be crucial to bucking that trend. Boston's front office would be wise to loosen the reins on spending in order to land a big-name player this year. If it doesn't, it runs the risk of further disappointing an already restless fan base.

Major League Baseball's offseason spending spree continued deep into the night on Wednesday with the San Diego Padres landing All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Bogaerts agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract to join the Padres. The 30-year-old has a .292/.356/.458 slash line and 156 homers in 1,264 career games with the Boston Red Sox.

Trea Turner agreed to an 11-year deal worth $300 million with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week, per Passan and Kiley McDaniel. This leaves Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson as the last two of the big four free-agent shortstops still available.

As Correa and Swanson wait out the market to find the deals they are looking for, here are the top potential landing spots for both players.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins already have a relationship with Correa after he spent last season playing for them. His decision to opt out leaves them with a huge hole at shortstop that must be filled if they want to be a playoff contender in 2023.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Twins still hope to bring Correa back. Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported team officials spoke with Swanson via video conference on Tuesday.

It's unclear how much money ownership will give the front office to spend, but Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune noted they could add $50 million in salaries this offseason and be right around the $125 million payroll they had in 2022.

Signing one of the premiere shortstops in baseball would certainly help the Twins' playoff hopes, but their roster is devoid of pitching talent right now. They didn't have one starter who reached 150 innings last season.

Joe Ryan and Dylan Bundy were the only pitchers who threw at least 120 innings. Hayes reported the Twins have dangled American League batting champion Luis Arraez in trade talks for a frontline starter.

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San Francisco Giants

The Giants came into this offseason with sky-high expectations. They were all-in on Aaron Judge with an offer around $360 million, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network.

Judge elected to remain with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract, per Rosenthal.

After Judge's decision came down, Rosenthal and Dennis Lin reported the Giants were expected to pursue one of the remaining free-agent shortstops.

San Francisco is currently in serious danger of falling to fourth in the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers will likely take a step back after losing Trea Turner and Tyler Anderson from a 111-win team, but they still have a wealth of talent to be one of the league's best teams.

The Padres are adding Bogaerts to a roster that already includes Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. By the way, they will also be getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back from his 80-game suspension on April 20.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are likely a year away from being a strong playoff contender, but they were close to a .500 team after the All-Star break (34-36) with Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen making a very strong duo at the top of their starting rotation.

If the Giants don't want to remain in obscurity after their 81-81 record in 2022, they have to sign Correa or Swanson to fill their void at shortstop.

Chicago Cubs

Having already taken a flier on Cody Bellinger and upgraded their rotation with Jameson Taillon, the Cubs look like they are comfortable dipping into free-agent waters.

We still don't know just how deep the waters that Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer wants to wade into are, but they were among the teams rumored to have interest in Turner before he agreed to sign with Philadelphia.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand threw out a scenario in which the Cubs might have signed Bogaerts and Swanson:

In this scenario, the Cubs would be taking a page out of the Rangers' book from last offseason, when Texas signed both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Signing both Bogaerts and Swanson would likely hinge upon convincing Bogaerts to move to third base.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 6, 2022

That dream no longer exists, though Cubs fans could try talking themselves into just replacing the Bogaerts part of that scenario with Correa.

There is no reason for the Cubs not to be in on Correa and Swanson. They are a major franchise that has more than enough money to spend, despite what ownership might try to say publicly.

Even if the Cubs like Nico Hoerner, who had a solid season with a career-high 107 OPS+, they can shift him to second base to make room for Correa or Swanson.

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Boston Red Sox

I have no idea what to do with the Red Sox at this point. They are very good at telling reporters they were in on virtually every major free agent but couldn't get a deal done for whatever reason.

Passan reported Boston did agree to a five-year deal with Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida. But the news was overshadowed for Red Sox fans with the loss of Bogaerts. There's also the ongoing uncertainty of Rafael Devers' contract negotiations.

It would make all the sense in the world for the Red Sox to sign one of Correa or Swanson to play shortstop. They are both younger and better defensive players than Bogaerts. They need to do something after finishing last in the AL East two times in the past three seasons.

The Boston Red Sox reportedly were not willing to give shortstop Xander Bogaerts anywhere near the contract that the San Diego Padres were this offseason.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the National League West team agreed to an 11-year, $280 million deal with Bogaerts on Wednesday night.

According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox remained "really far" from that total and did not even reach the $200 million mark when it came to their offer.

This is another blow for Red Sox fans who watched their team trade Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2020 campaign. ESPN's Buster Olney suggested the loss of both Betts and Bogaerts means the team will likely have to overpay for Rafael Devers to avoid losing a third franchise cornerstone.

Devers is under contract through the 2023 season.

Boston's loss is San Diego's gain, as Bogaerts was one of the main free-agency prizes this offseason after slashing .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI last season. He can impact the game in a number of ways, including with his glove considering he posted a total of five defensive runs saved above average as well, per FanGraphs.

He played for the Red Sox from 2013 through 2022 and was a five-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star selection.

The team won the World Series in his rookie season and again in 2018, meaning he will be pursuing a third championship during his first season in the National League.

And that will be the expectation for a Padres squad that reached the National League Championship Series a season ago and has star power that includes Bogaerts, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. in the middle of one of the best lineups in all of baseball.

Battling the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West will not be easy for San Diego, but it also won't be easy for Red Sox fans to watch Bogaerts and Betts competing for a potential World Series run on other teams after they lost yet another star Wednesday.

Nobody can accuse the San Diego Padres of not going after a World Series title.

The National League West team made a major splash in free agency Wednesday night and agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract with shortstop Xander Bogaerts, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. That means the Padres' formidable lineup will include Bogaerts, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr.

According to Spotrac, the team now has an active total payroll of just under $147 million for 2023 and a projected total payroll of $203.9 million.

Here is a look at MLB Network's projected lineup for the team:

Thoughts? 👀 pic.twitter.com/vafwxCj6bl

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 8, 2022

San Diego has been nothing if not aggressive this offseason, as Passan noted it also pursued Aaron Judge before he re-signed with the New York Yankees and Trea Turner before he joined the Philadelphia Phillies.

Going after big-name players may be necessary to compete in a National League West that also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, the latter of which was largely seen as New York's biggest competition when it came to landing Judge this offseason.

Bogaerts is more than just a consolation prize, though, and has a resume that includes two World Series titles, four All-Star selections and five Silver Sluggers from his time on the Boston Red Sox.

The 30-year-old slashed .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI last season while posting a total of five defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

There was some discussion about Bogaerts potentially moving off shortstop this offseason, with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com going as far as to report the Chicago Cubs were looking to sign both him and Dansby Swanson and explore such a move, but the defensive metrics at shortstop suggest he can stay there for the Padres.

San Diego reached the National League Championship Series last season even though Tatís was suspended for the playoffs. Now it will have Tatís back for the stretch run of 2023 and Bogaerts in the lineup alongside him, which is a daunting prospect for opposing pitching staffs.

It is World Series or bust for the Padres at this point.

The San Diego Padres have landed one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball after agreeing to a deal with Xander Bogaerts.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Bogaerts signed an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres, adding another superstar to their already loaded infield in the process.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on an 11-year, $280 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. A monster contract and the Padres, after missing Trea Turner and Aaron Judge, get the longtime Red Sox shortstop.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 8, 2022

The Red Sox added to their crowded middle infield last offseason by signing Trevor Story to a six-year contract. He shifted to second base because of Bogaerts, but this move allows to back to shortstop.

Story has been a disappointment so far in Boston. The two-time All-Star posted a career-low .737 OPS in an injury-plagued 2022 campaign that was limited to 94 games.

Bogaerts has been terrific at the plate over the previous five seasons for Boston. He posted a career-high .883 OPS in 2018 only to exceed that mark with a .939 OPS the following year. He also recorded new career bests in home runs (33) and doubles (52) in 2019.

The 2020 season wasn't quite up to those standards, but he hit .300/.364/.502 with 11 homers in 56 games. He was one of the few bright spots for a Red Sox team that finished last in the AL East with a 24-36 record.

Things went much better for Boston in 2021, finishing with a 92-70 record. Bogaerts was one of the key anchors for the offense with an .863 OPS and 23 homers in 144 games. He hit .307/.377/.456 with 15 homers in 150 games during the 2022 campaign.

The Red Sox signed him to a six-year, $120 million contract extension in April 2019 that included an opt out after 2022.

Bogaerts' struggles in the field—his minus-26 defensive runs saved from 2018-22 ranks last out of 19 qualified shortstops, according to FanGraphs—do open up the strong possibility that he might have to move off the position soon.

Bogaerts joins an infield that is as star-filled as any in baseball; third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. remain elite hitters and fielders, although there are plenty of question marks about how Tatis will fare after an injury-plagued 2022 campaign and after his 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. On top of that, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim emerged as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball, creating a potential logjam on the left side of the infield.

However, with another big name joining the fold, it's hard to think the Padres won't figure things out heading into the season and will enter 2023 as early favorites to make a deep playoff run.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki announced Wednesday night that he would represent Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Seiya Suzuki announces he will play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. #Cubs https://t.co/a5icG1Pht5

— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) December 8, 2022

He reportedly had been initially undecided about participating because of the tournament interfering with spring training preparations, per Tim Stebbins of NBC Chicago.

"I put myself in his shoes," manager David Ross told reporters at the winter meetings of Suzuki potentially playing in the WBC. "I would have loved to play for Team USA. How cool is that? You're going to get into the best competition in the world and be able to compete at a high level for your country. I would never want to take that away from anybody and always kind of push that experience. You should play if that's where your heart is."

Suzuki, 28, hit .262 with 14 homers, 46 RBI, 54 runs, nine stolen bases and a .770 OPS in 111 games this past season, his first with the Cubs after joining the team from Japan's NPB.

Ross said he wasn't worried about the WBC impacting Suzuki once the season began.

"He's our starting right fielder. He's going to be in the lineup," he said. "Whether you have a clean spring training and things aren't perfect to start our whatever, if that was the case, or maybe he starts on fire because of already facing great pitching. None of us know that, but I don't think that's something we'll blame or make an excuse."

"It doesn't matter," he continued. "You've got to go out and play and perform and win games. He's our starting right fielder. He'll be prepared. He works his tail off."

Suzuki previously represented Japan at the 2017 WBC and 2020 Olympics, so it always seemed likely he would take up the proverbial banners again for March's WBC.

Japan was slotted into Pool B alongside South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic. They'll open their tournament against China on March 9.