Star shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.
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Correa also was a free agent one year ago after leaving the Houston Astros, and he reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That agreement gave him the right to opt out after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again.
And the 28-year-old Correa indeed moved again, this time to a Giants team that recently missed out in its bid to sign free agent Aaron Judge.
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Correa was one of the headliners in a stellar group of free-agent shortstops that also included Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. Swanson is the only one in that group still available.
Correa got the latest big-money deal in a spending spree during the first offseason of baseball’s new labor contract.
The Philadelphia Phillies signed Turner for $300 million over 11 years, the San Diego Padres got Bogaerts for $280 million over 11 years, the Texas Rangers signed pitcher Jacob deGrom for $185 million over five years and the New York Mets retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo for $162 million for eight years.
Judge, who won the MVP award after hitting an AL-record 62 home runs, is staying with the New York Yankees. He has a nine-year, $360 million deal pending a physical.
Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in his one season in Minnesota.
Brandon Crawford, a three-time All-Star, has been the Giants shortstop since 2011. Crawford, who turns 36 next month, slumped to a .231 average with nine homers and 52 RBIs last season, down from .298, 24 and 90 in 2021.
Crawford has a $16 million salary in 2023, then can become a free agent. He has dealt with injuries in recent seasons and might consider retirement at the conclusion of his deal, so the Giants were searching for a shortstop of the future.
The Giants went 81-81 last season, a year after posting a franchise-record 107 wins.
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The Astros selected Correa with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 amateur draft, and he played a key role in their rise from the bottom of the AL West to the franchise’s first World Series title in 2017.
He hit a career-best 26 homers in 2021, his last year in Houston, also finishing with a .279 batting average and 92 RBIs. He earned his second All-Star selection and first Gold Glove.
Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, has a .279 career average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight big-league seasons. He also has been a stellar postseason performer with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games.
The Astros’ 2017 championship was tainted by a sign-stealing scheme, and Correa has been lustily booed in some cities since the scandal surfaced.
AP’s Jay Cohen and Janie McCauley contributed.
