Yankees officially lose out on Carlos Correa, who makes wild free agent decision

There were reports Friday afternoon that the New York Yankees could still be involved in the Carlos Correa sweepstakes, despite acquiring Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Twins.

It took an arm and a leg just to acquire Kiner-Falefa in the first place, as general manager Brian Cashman consumed the contract of Josh Donaldson which will pay him $50 million over the next two seasons.

Minnesota clearly had other plans in mind, leveraging their position with free salary space to sign Carlos Correa on a three-year deal worth $105.3 million.

Correa has opt-outs built into the contract, but he will be paid $35+ million per season in the meantime, a luxurious contract that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the history of the game.

The Yankees missing out on Correa isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering they have several shortstops climbing the farm system who can contribute in the next few years. Kiner-Falefa offers the team a solid stopgap with upside at just 26 years old.

In the Yankees’ first spring training game of the season, Kiner-Falefa recorded two hits and one run over three at-bats. The former Texas Ranger and Twin smacked a double to left field in the first inning and singled to centerfield in the 5th.

Volpe took over for Kiner-Falefa after his single. In Volpe’s lone at-bat, the stud prospect struck out, but he should receive plenty of action over the next few weeks until the regular season officially begins.

Most fans would agree that the Yankees have failed to make any blockbuster moves that significantly improve the roster, but Cashman still has time to acquire a starting pitcher to pair with Garrett Cole at the top of the rotation. Keep an eye on Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas of the Oakland A’s as potential trade candidates in the coming days.