An alarming number of baseball analysts and websites conclude that the New York Yankees are in line to acquire controversial shortstop Carlos Correa once the lockout is over. This writer believes that the shortstop will not land with the Yankees. There are several reasons for my belief.
First, Correa does not have a good reputation with the Yankees, primarily due to his involvement in the 2017 cheating scandal. He has vague back problems that will hold the Yankees back. Also, it is not likely that the Yankees will take on another $300 million-plus contract considering they will likely be on the hook for a costly Aaron Judge extension.
Here’s the Correa contract sweepstakes timeline:
Early in October, Correa made it clear that he believed the Houston Astros, who he had been with for seven years as its shortstop, would not meet his price. Back in spring training, they would not extend his present contract for an amount he considered appropriate. They first offered him $120 million for over six years, then upped their offer to $125 million over five years, all of which Correa rejected. It appears they never came back with a better offer.
Fast forward to the post-season, the 7.2 WAR shortstop was offered $160 million over six years by the Houston Astros, according to Mark Berman of FOX26. Correa rejected that. It is not likely that the Houston Astros will up that offer as they already can move Alex Bregman to shortstop and acquire a third baseman which would be far more cost-effective.
As the sweepstakes for Correa continued, it looked as though the Detroit Tigers would be the likely landing place for Correa as he would link back to his old manager A J Hinch the Tiger’s new Tiger manager. That scenario looked hot for a while, with MLB.com, MLBrumors.com, the New York Post, and the Athletic all predicting that Correa would sign with the Tigers. The Tigers It was suggested that $300 million would get the deal done—something the Tigers could absorb if the contract were end-loaded. Nothing came of that to date.
On November 10, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it clear when he spoke to reporters that addressing the shortstop position is a top priority this offseason. It appeared the team wasn’t wasting any time. According to a report from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, the Yankees were already having conversations Correa’s agent, Jon Rosen. It is unknown how far those talks went or if any offers were made. If an offer was made, Correa and his agent have been quiet on the subject.
On November 18, Jeff Passan reported that free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa and Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch had breakfast today. Yes, the conversation was so good they stayed until lunch. But nothing has come of that either.
At the end of November, it looked as though the Tigers had turned away from acquiring Correa as they signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Javier Báez. He was the third-star free-agent shortstop to come off the board after Corey Seager, and Marcus Semien agreed to contracts with the Rangers.
At the beginning of December, it was reported that the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Red Sox, and yes, the New York Yankees were all still in the sweepstakes for Correa’s services. The Essentially Sports site has recently suggested that the Yankees are first in line to acquire the superstar shortstop. Essentially noted that the Cubs could meet his price but not for ten years. They also suggested if the Cubs can do it, surely the rich New York Yankees could do the same. Again this writer does not believe fans will ever see Correa in pinstripes.