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Mets showing interest in star free-agent Carlos Correa

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By Ken Rosenthal, Dan Hayes and Andy McCullough

A surprising new team has emerged in the Carlos Correa sweepstakes — or maybe not so surprising, considering the amount of money the New York Mets already have spent this offseason.

Yes, Steve Cohen might be at again.

Cohen’s Mets are showing interest in Correa, according to sources familiar with the team’s thinking. Correa, 28, likely would play third base for the Mets, alongside his fellow native of Puerto Rico, shortstop Francisco Lindor.

“I’d say there’s some smoke,” one Mets person said. “I’m not sure how big the fire is, though.”

Mets general manager Billy Eppler declined comment.

While a full-blown pursuit of Correa might feel like a stretch, given the size of Correa’s expected payday and the expenditures already lavished out by the Mets this winter, Cohen has already expanded the parameters of what it is possible for an owner to spend.


Steve Cohen (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

The acquisition of Correa would represent another stunning addition for Cohen, whose team already has signed pitcher Justin Verlander, center fielder Brandon Nimmo and three other free agents this offseason, pushing its luxury-tax payroll to nearly $350 million, according to Fangraphs. With penalties, the Mets’ total payroll would be approximately $421 million, by far the highest in major-league history.

For all Cohen has invested, people familiar with his thinking indicated the owner still believes the Mets need more offense, prompting the team to explore not just the market for Correa, but also for players such as J.D. Martinez and Michael Conforto.

Correa, the top remaining free agent, likely would cost another $30 million-plus per season, or perhaps less on an average annual basis if he signs a deal of more than 10 years — a possibility, according to sources. Two other free-agent shortstops, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts, signed 11-year deals worth $300 million and $280 million, respectively.

The Mets would not be alone in any pursuit of Correa. The Minnesota Twins view him as their primary target, and the San Francisco Giants also are believed to be in the mix. After missing out on Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, the Giants face significant pressure to find a franchise pillar with which to build around.

At the outset of the offseason, many executives viewed Correa as the most compelling player on the market, given his outsized talent, relatively young age and ability to stick at a crucial defensive position like shortstop. As the Winter Meetings concluded last week — after Turner, Bogaerts and Judge all inked seismic deals — Correa remained the best player on the market. A foray by the Mets may invigorate clubs like Minnesota or San Francisco to meet the demands of Correa and his representative, Scott Boras.

A two-time All-Star, Correa failed to find a long-term commitment that met his expectation last winter. He settled for a three-year, $105.3 million agreement with the Twins, then opted out after hitting 22 home runs with an .834 OPS. Although advanced defensive metrics dinged him in 2022, Correa won the Platinum Glove as the sport’s best defender with Houston in 2021.

At some point, the Mets are expected to make moves to lower their payroll. Catcher James McCann and right-hander Carlos Carrasco are among the players they might trade, and third baseman Eduardo Escobar also could be on the move if Correa joins the club. The Mets may also have to explore interest in top prospects like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.

The Athletic’s Will Sammon contributed to this report.

(Photo: Mike Stobe / Getty Images)



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Dodgers’ free-agent targets post Winter Meetings

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This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN DIEGO — It was a quiet Winter Meetings for the Dodgers, something that has become somewhat expected over the last few seasons. But just as has been the case in years past, that certainly doesn’t mean the Dodgers will remain silent this winter.

In 2020, Los Angeles made the biggest splash of the offseason by acquiring Mookie Betts from the Red Sox in February. Two years ago, the club signed Trevor Bauer in January. Last season, albeit in different circumstances, Freddie Freeman became a Dodger in March.

Is a move of that magnitude out there for the Dodgers this winter? That’s unlikely. But there are players that could fit this team. Let’s take a look at a few targets and where they would fit.

On the field, signing Correa makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers. Correa gives the Dodgers some edge, a postseason performer and one of the best shortstops in the Majors, a position of need after Trea Turner left for Philadelphia earlier this week.

In any other life, the Dodgers would be meeting with Correa and his representatives trying to lock up their next franchise player to a multi-year deal. In this life, however, Correa played for the 2017 Astros, making things a little more complicated.

Because of Correa’s involvement in the Astros’ cheating scandal, the Dodgers are sensitive to the potential negative fan reaction. Only three players remain from the 2017 Dodgers, but it’s still an unusual situation, one that makes it unlikely Correa ends up in Los Angeles.

Like Correa, Rodón would also make sense for the Dodgers, who are looking to add another frontline-type starter to the rotation. The left-hander, however, has a preference of playing away from the West Coast and will be demanding a lucrative multi-year contract, something the Dodgers aren’t comfortable offering, especially with Julio Urías, former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani set to become free agents next winter.

Of the free agents left on the market, Kiermaier is a center fielder that makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers. Kiermaier is recovering from season-ending hip surgery, but he’s ramping up and will be ready for Spring Training, according to a source. 

When healthy, Kiermaier can give the Dodgers about the same production Cody Bellinger delivered the last two seasons. More importantly, however, Kiermaier is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, which would give the team the level of defense it needs to replace at the position. There’s mutual interest here.

McCutchen’s fit is intriguing, and there’s interest on both sides. The 36-year-old could give the Dodgers a right-handed bat off the bench, similar to what Hanser Alberto provided last season. McCutchen posted a .738 OPS against lefties last season.

Martinez is another right-handed option, but he’ll need much more playing time than just a bench role. The Dodgers were very interested in Martinez at the Trade Deadline and have shown interest again since then.

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Rosenthal: MLB’s massive free-agent spending is just getting started. Explaining the forces at work.

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Tyler Anderson jumped too soon.

Oh, anyone can understand why Anderson on Nov. 15 agreed to a three-year, $39 million free-agent deal with the Angels rather than accept a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers. In his first six seasons, Anderson had an adjusted ERA that was precisely league-average. Last season, at age 32, he broke out with the Dodgers, producing the eighth-best adjusted ERA in the majors. The Angels offered him nearly $40 million. He wanted to play in Anaheim. Why mess around?

Reasonable question. Too reasonable, it turned out. Anderson acted rationally in an environment that quickly turned irrational. The contracts, for starting pitchers, in particular, but really, for all players, are getting crazier by the day. And the spending orgy at the Winter Meetings, rivaling the 2019 and 2000 editions, if not quite something out of Ancient Rome, is just getting started.

On Monday, Justin Verlander, turning 40 on Feb. 20, matched new Mets teammate Max Scherzer, 38, for the highest average annual salary in the game’s history, $43.33 million. Trea Turner agreed with the Phillies on an 11-year, $300 million contract that will take him through — gasp— age 40. Still to come: Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Rodón. And more.


Aaron Judge (Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Welcome to the perfect storm of baseball excess, a confluence of events that already has produced more than $1 billion in free-agent contracts. Each deal is more jaw-dropping and seemingly more nonsensical than the last. And yet, none of it comes as a surprise.

Consider the forces at work:

• It’s the first full offseason of a new collective-bargaining agreement. Owners historically react to the assurance of labor peace over a sustained period by spending more freely.

• The sport’s revenues last season approached $11 billion, according to commissioner Rob Manfred. That number potentially will exceed the record of $10.7 billion set in 2019, the last full season played without COVID-19 restrictions.

• The league in November sold the remaining 15 percent of BAMTech to Disney for $900 million. While that amount technically breaks down to $30 million per team, it’s possible the league held back a portion of the money for its Central Fund.

• The higher luxury-tax thresholds in the new CBA created more flexibility for the game’s biggest spenders. The lowest threshold increased from $210 million in 2021 to $230 million in 2022 and then $233 in 2023. The impact only is now starting to show. Last offseason started under the old CBA and ended after a 99-day lockout with an abbreviated conclusion to free agency.

• The new, expanded postseason format — and the surprise appearances of the Padres and Phillies in the National League Championship Series — is perhaps creating greater hope for clubs that previously were also-rans, and providing more incentive to spend.

So, there you have it, the makings of a splurge.

The offseason began with Edwin Díaz becoming the highest-paid reliever in history, agreeing to a five-year, $102 million contract with the Mets. Two other relievers, Robert Suárez (five years, $46 million) and Rafael Montero (three years, $34.5 million) followed with inflated deals. One general manager looking for bullpen help was scrambling to meetings with agents on Sunday night, trying to strike a reasonable two-year deal with a quality reliever, and looking rather harried.

The starting-pitching market, peaking with the Rangers’ signing of Jacob deGrom for five years and $185 million, is even more intense, and not just at the top. Two weeks after Anderson signed with the Angels, Zach Eflin reached a three-year, $40 million agreement with the Rays despite pitching only 75 2/3 innings last season. And things were just getting started.

Matthew Boyd turned 13 1/3 innings with the Mariners last season into a one-year, $10 million contract with one of his previous teams, the Tigers. Mike Clevinger joined the White Sox on a one-year, $12 million deal after missing all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and producing an adjusted ERA 14 percent below league average in 2022. Both contracts seemed excessive initially. Not even a month later, both might be bargains, just like Anderson’s.

The middle tier of free-agent starting pitchers — Chris Bassitt, Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon, Andrew Heaney, Taijuan Walker, et al — will be the next to be overpaid. One of those pitchers received five new offers after deGrom signed, according to his agent, who asked not to be identified while in the middle of negotiations. Bassitt and Eovaldi might be weighed down slightly by their qualifying offers. But the way money is flying around, will teams even blink at the prospect of giving up a draft pick or two and international bonus pool space to get the pitcher they want?

Of course, it’s not just the starting pitchers benefiting. For a look at the possible ramifications of some of the bigger position-player deals, let’s fast forward to the 2031 Phillies. Bryce Harper will be 38 that season, playing out the final year of his contract. Turner also will be 38, but with two years left on his deal. The Phillies can bask in the relatively low average annual values of both players — Turner ranks 27th all-time at $27.27 million, Harper 35th at $25.38 million. But both contracts include full no-trade clauses and lack opt-outs. Barring something dramatic, neither player is going anywhere.

All of which is fine, as long as teams get the production they anticipate in the early years of the contracts. Harper to this point has been well worth the money for the Phillies, winning an MVP award in 2021 and leading them to the World Series in 2022 while serving as a DH because of an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. How will Harper age? What kind of player will Turner be when he starts to lose his speed? Neither question will trouble the Phillies, as long as they win a World Series or two while each is under contract.

The performance of the oft-injured deGrom over the next five years will bear perhaps closer inspection. One writer joked that Díaz as a reliever might pitch more innings over the next five years than deGrom as a starter. Verlander at $86.66 million is no bargain, but at nearly $100 million less than deGrom, the Mets are practically giddy over their “savings.”

Hey, it’s not my money, or even your money — ticket prices are driven by the principles of supply and demand, not by the sizes of player contracts. If the owners didn’t have the money, they wouldn’t spend it. And boy do they have it, more than ever before.

Poor Tyler Anderson. He got rich before he could have gotten even richer. Amid the wackiness of the 2022-23 offseason, he’s baseball’s unfortunate son.

(Top photo of Trea Turner: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)



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Rosenthal: What I’m hearing on the MLB free-agent market with the Padres, Astros and more

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A three-year, $58.5 million contract seemed high for free-agent first baseman José Abreu, who turns 36 on Jan. 29. The Athletic’s Keith Law criticized the Astros for paying him that much. But the competition for Abreu, according to major-league sources and media reports, perhaps explains how, even at an advanced age, he exceeded his previous three-year, $50 million deal with the White Sox.

The Padres and Guardians also made Abreu three-year offers. The Red Sox considered him their top outside priority, though the size of their offer was not known. The Marlins were in the mix, as were the Cubs and Rays. Other teams might have been involved as well.

• As The Athletic’s Dennis Lin wrote, the Padres have every reason to take a measured approach this offseason, seeking to add depth more than star power. But some in the industry believe general manager A.J. Preller will follow his usual formula, and at least attempt to do something big.

Abreu appealed to the Padres and other clubs in part because he was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer after getting one from the White Sox (and accepting it) in 2019. The Padres, after exceeding the luxury-tax threshold last season, would forfeit a second- and fifth-round pick, as well as $1 million from their international signing bonus pool for signing a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer — Xander Bogaerts, for example. Such a penalty would be especially painful for a San Diego team that depleted its farm system at the deadline with trades for Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Josh Hader and Brandon Drury.

The obvious course for the Padres, then, would be to find a first base/DH type to fill the role projected for Abreu, plus another starting pitcher and bullpen and bench help. But Preller, as first reported by the New York Post, is exploring the shortstop market. Perhaps his inquiries are simply the routine due diligence GMs perform at this time of year. But according to major-league sources, Preller recently asked Bogaerts’ agent, Scott Boras, whether the shortstop would be willing to play other infield positions. Others say Preller, like pretty much every other GM, fancies Trea Turner, too.

Bogaerts would make particular sense for the Padres if he was willing to play first base or second short-term, then possibly move to third if Manny Machado opts out after next season. Soto, meanwhile, could leave as a free agent after 2024, potentially creating another offensive void.

The Padres, after re-signing pitchers Robert Suárez and Nick Martinez, moved within $1 million of the first luxury-tax threshold according to Fangraphs. They’re already all-in. The only question is how far they will go.


Fernando Tatis Jr. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

• Whatever the Padres do, they need to figure out where to play Fernando Tatis Jr., who will be coming off multiple wrist surgeries, a shoulder operation and an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs that ends on April 20.

Ha-Seong Kim emerged as a top defensive shortstop last season, ranking among the top eight at the position in both Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved. Of the free-agent shortstops, only Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson are comparable defensively.

The Padres were talking about playing Tatis in center before he was suspended. He also can fill a void in left if free agent Jurickson Profar signs with another club, or right if the Padres move Soto back to his original position. Second base could be another option, with Jake Cronenworth moving to first.

Much depends, obviously, on what the Padres accomplish this offseason.

• The Astros are in discussions with free agent Willson Contreras and plan to meet with him at the winter meetings, according to a source briefed on the situation.

Astros owner Jim Crane quashed a Jośe Urquidy-for-Contreras trade at the deadline, as first reported by ESPN. But the circumstances are different now.

Rather than Urquidy, Contreras would cost the Astros their second-highest draft pick and $500,000 from their international bonus pool. Contreras, meanwhile, would not need to worry about losing playing time in the middle of his walk year.

The Astros like Contreras in part because he can play left field, particularly at Minute Maid Park, which has the second-smallest left field in the majors after Fenway Park. Most of Contreras’ limited time in left was in 2016, his rookie season. But in theory, he could alternate with Yordan Alvarez in left and at DH while also catching on occasion.

The question is whether Contreras, 30, still would want to be paid like a catcher while playing a less significant defensive role.

• Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, in a telephone conversation Tuesday, made it clear the team’s No. 1 priority is acquiring an everyday catcher. Asked about the possibility of adding a shortstop, Mozeliak said, “Tommy Edman is a very, very good shortstop.”

Mozeliak allowed that a change in the marketplace could prompt him to adjust at short, but it’s doubtful he could strike a bargain in free agency or in a trade. As for the outfield, Mozeliak said the Cardinals have numerous options, describing top prospect Jordan Walker “as the biggest wild card.” He did not rule out a veteran addition, but such a player likely would be a backup behind Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar.

• Shortly after the season ended, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters his preference would be to land a shortstop who would be willing to play second base. But considering the expected prices for the big four shortstops, the Mariners are more likely to pursue a left-handed hitting second baseman who can platoon with Dylan Moore, as well as a right-handed hitting outfielder.

The Brewers’ Kolten Wong, earning $10 million, is one option at second, but the Mariners also could pursue more affordable options who would remain with the team longer. The Rays, for example, feature three such youngsters — Jonathan Aranda and switch-hitters Taylor Walls and Vidal Bruján — as well as Brandon Lowe, who is under club control through 2026 at a below-market salary. Lowe, however, appeared in only 65 games last season due to back and triceps injuries, so the Rays would be selling low.

• Speaking of the Rays, they always check in on the top of the market, so it’s not exactly a surprise they have made contact with Jacob deGrom, the best pitcher available in free agency. It’s also not exactly a surprise that club officials are pessimistic about their chances, knowing deGrom’s average annual value is expected to exceed $40 million in a deal of at least three years.

Such an amount would represent about half the Rays’ club-record $83.9 million payroll in 2022, and they’re already at an estimated $67.7 million for 2023. Still, they will occasionally splurge, in their own way. They will pay Tyler Glasnow $25 million in 2024, the second year of his two-year extension. They also offered Freddie Freeman two deals last offseason in free agency, according to ESPN — six years, $140 million or seven years, $150 million.

Their appeal to deGrom could include the opportunity to pitch in his native Florida, a state that does not charge income tax, as well as the chance to work under one of the game’s top pitching coaches, Kyle Snyder. But other teams almost certainly would be willing to pay considerably more.

• The Mets recently re-assigned amateur scouting director Marc Tramuta, making him a high-level evaluator who will work in both the amateur and international markets. The team, which has not yet announced the move, currently is conducting an interview process, but one club source expects a promotion from within.

Tramuta joined the Mets as an assistant scouting director in 2012, and became their amateur scouting director in December 2016. His first-round picks included left-hander David Peterson, third baseman/outfielder Brett Baty, outfielder Jarred Kelenic (traded for Edwin Díaz/Robinson Canó), outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (traded for Javier Báez) and pitcher Kumar Rocker (whom the Mets did not sign).

A Mets official declined comment when asked about Tramuta, saying the team does not discuss employee-related matters.

(Top photo of Contreras: Jamie Sabau / Getty Images))



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Ranking the top 20 free-agent starting pitchers in a deep, question-filled class

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If you’re looking for former Cy Young Award winners and future Hall of Famers, this is a fantastic, all-time crop of free-agent starting pitchers.

If you’re looking for in-their-prime starting pitchers without any major injury risk attached on a long-term contract, this offseason class is a bit lacking.

It’s a fascinating mix of past greatness and future question marks, meaning front offices in search of impact arms will have to take some big gambles, while teams needing mid-rotation help can choose from a deep group of appealing options.

Below is The Athletic’s guide to the biggest names, the best and worst bets, and the potential diamonds in the rough among free-agent starting pitchers.

(Note: All listed ages are as of June 30, 2023.)

1. Jacob deGrom, RHP

Age in 2023: 35
Last team: Mets

Jacob deGrom’s free-agent market is capped only by aging and injuries, because when healthy enough to take the mound he’s been the best pitcher in the world for five years and one of Major League Baseball’s top half-dozen pitchers for nearly a decade. He won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019, and placed third in the abbreviated 2020 season, but was limited to 26 starts the past two seasons.

Elbow and shoulder injuries sidelined deGrom from July 2021 to August 2022, but he returned with his high-90s fastball and power slider intact, striking out 102 in 62 innings. Among all starters in MLB history with at least 60 innings, his 2022 strikeout rate of 14.3 per nine innings is tied for first … with himself from 2021. His career ERA is 2.52, including 2.05 since 2018.

DeGrom was a late bloomer, making his MLB debut at 26, and he’s somehow gotten better with age while maintaining his otherworldly raw stuff despite the injuries. His average fastball velocity led all starters in 2022 (98.9 mph), 2021 (99.2) and 2020 (98.6), and it’s not even deGrom’s best pitch. That honor goes to his low-90s slider, which is one of the great breaking balls of all time.

Opponents have hit .170 versus deGrom’s slider in the past five years, including .139 with a 54 percent swing-and-miss rate in 2022 and .096 with a 58 percent whiff rate in 2021. Oh, and he also occasionally uses a low-90s changeup that’s as good as many All-Stars’ best pitch. He’s like a video game’s create-a-pitcher with all of the ratings maxed out. Except for health. Had to skimp somewhere.

DeGrom seems certain to join Max Scherzer ($43 million) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million) as the only pitchers making more than $35 million per season, but how many years will even the biggest-payroll teams be willing to hand a soon-to-be 35-year-old with 156 innings the past two seasons? No one compares on a per-start basis, so we’re about to find out how front offices weigh risk versus reward.

2. Carlos Rodón, LHP

Age in 2023: 30
Last team: Giants

Shedding an “injury-prone” label takes time and it never fully goes away. Carlos Rodón was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft and reached the majors 10 months later, but shoulder problems kept him from being the front-line starter everyone expected. Then elbow surgery knocked him out for most of 2019 and 2020, and the White Sox cut him. Two months later, he re-signed for just $3 million.

Rodón’s long-awaited breakout came in 2021. He threw an April no-hitter, and had a 2.38 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 110 innings through early August. Then more shoulder issues limited him to just 23 innings in Chicago’s final 50 games. He was a free agent again last offseason, but teams weren’t willing to make him a big long-term offer, so Rodón settled for a short-term deal with the Giants.

This time Rodón was dominant and healthy all season, posting a 2.88 ERA in a career-high 31 starts and striking out 237 in a career-high 178 innings. Among pitchers with at least 50 starts in the past two years, he was first in strikeout rate (12.2/9), second in OPS against (.567) and fourth in ERA (2.67). Back on the market at age 30, will past injuries again keep him from being paid like an ace?

There’s no doubt Rodón’s injury history carries major risk on a multi-year deal, but that’s not unique in this class. DeGrom is five years older and just returned from a 13-month absence. Justin Verlander is 10 years older and spent two of the past three seasons recovering from elbow surgery. Clayton Kershaw is five years older and hasn’t made 30 starts in a season since 2015. You get the idea.

Rodón is a 30-year-old lefty with a mid-90s fastball and a filthy slider coming off back-to-back Cy Young-caliber seasons, and if anything he’s been healthier recently than many free-agent starters. Last offseason, Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman got five-year deals worth $115 million and $110 million, respectively. That should be the baseline for Rodón unless the injury-prone label intercedes.

3. Justin Verlander, RHP

Age in 2023: 40
Last team: Astros

Justin Verlander won his second Cy Young Award in 2019 and then missed all but one start of the next two seasons following Tommy John surgery, returning in 2022 to likely win his third Cy Young, at age 39. With an MLB-leading 1.75 ERA in 175 innings, he produced the most Wins Above Replacement by a 39-year-old pitcher since Joe Niekro five years before Verlander was born.

It’s remarkable, on every level, further solidifying Verlander’s place as an inner-circle Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers of all time. But now he’s a soon-to-be 40-year-old looking for what may be his final contract. Last spring, when Verlander hadn’t pitched in 20 months, the Astros gave him a two-year, $50 million deal with an opt-out. So what’s he worth after a third Cy Young?

From a stuff standpoint, Verlander is as overpowering as ever, throwing harder than he did 10 years ago and holding opponents to sub-.200 batting averages on each of his three main pitches. His mid-90s fastball, thrown about half the time and mostly up in the zone, was the second-best four-seamer used by a starter in 2022, and his hard slider and slower curveball were elite, bat-missing weapons.

Verlander relentlessly attacked hitters, with just 29 walks versus 185 strikeouts, and he allowed only 12 homers after serving up an average of 30 a season from 2016-19. His strikeout rate dipped last season, going from great to very good in what could be a potential red flag, but that’s also something that often improves further from surgery. If any 40-year-old can get a three-year contract, it’s him.

4. Clayton Kershaw, LHP

Age in 2023: 35
Last team: Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw was a free agent last offseason and flirted with his hometown Texas Rangers before re-signing with the Dodgers in mid-March, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $17 million plus incentives. It’s hard to envision the future Hall of Famer not ending up back with the Dodgers again, because he’s played his entire 15-year career in Los Angeles and because he’s still damn good.

Kershaw avoided the elbow problems that ended his 2021 season early, but he was limited to just 22 starts by the back issues that have plagued him on a near-annual basis for almost a decade. He hasn’t thrown 180 innings since 2015 and hasn’t topped 130 innings since 2019, and his fastball is down almost five mph from his peak, averaging just 90.7 mph in 2022.

And yet Kershaw still posted a 2.22 ERA with a sparkling 137-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 126 innings, numbers most starters would call a career year. It’s a credit to his pitching genius that the diminished health and velocity can’t stop him from sub-3.00 ERAs. Kershaw has thrown his fastball less than 40 percent of the time in back-to-back seasons, rebranding as a slider-first pitcher.

On a per-start basis the three-time Cy Young winner remains elite — his 2.76 ERA since 2020 ranks seventh in MLB — but the goal is now 125 innings and playoff readiness. Verlander left Detroit at 34 and became a late-career legend for a second team, so perhaps Kershaw doing the same shouldn’t be dismissed, but another one-year deal with the Dodgers makes sense for everyone involved.

5. Kodai Senga, RHP

Age in 2023: 30
Last team: Hawks (Japan)

One of the elite pitchers in Japan for the past decade, Kodai Senga is the wild card of this free-agent class. Regardless of the country or league, there’s rarely certainty that star-level performances elsewhere will translate to MLB, and in this case the price to find out figures to be substantial given Senga’s impressive resume through age 29 and his status as an outright free agent.

Senga has a 2.42 ERA and 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings across 11 seasons in Japan, including a 1.96 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 148 innings last season. His relatively high walk rate is a potential red flag, but Senga’s raw stuff is billed as excellent, with a high-90s fastball that reaches triple digits, a very good forkball and two usable breaking balls.

Some scouting reports on Senga suggest his best chance to dominate in MLB could be as a two-pitch reliever, and perhaps that will become a fallback plan if his control issues are difficult to overcome, but enough teams likely view him as a starter to receive big long-term offers. He recently signed a five-year extension with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, but included an opt-out to pursue MLB.

6. Nathan Eovaldi, RHP

Age in 2023: 33
Last team: Red Sox

Nathan Eovaldi followed up 2021’s fourth-place Cy Young finish by carrying a 3.16 ERA into mid-June, but the rest of his 2022 was wrecked by shoulder and back injuries. He started just eight of Boston’s last 105 games, allowing 27 runs in 41 innings as his average fastball velocity dipped from 96.8 mph in April and May to 94.1 mph in August and September.

Eovaldi has always been one of MLB’s hardest-throwing starters, so it’s unclear if he can remain a front-line arm throwing 93-95 instead of 96-98. He’s become a strike-throwing machine in his 30s, with just 1.6 walks per nine innings since 2020, but command lapses within the zone have turned into homers. If the velo doesn’t return, his splitter and curveball will need to do a lot of heavy lifting.

Like many of the starters listed above him, health is the biggest key for Eovaldi, who ranks 20th in FIP and 27th in ERA+ since 2020 for pitchers with 50-plus starts. If healthy and throwing 96-98, he’s a good No. 2 starter, but his second-half struggles can be traced directly to injuries that have the potential to linger and he’s never been known for durability.

Age in 2023: 34
Last team: Mets

Chris Bassitt totaled just 191 big-league innings in his 20s, but since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2018 he’s quietly been one of MLB’s best starters, posting a 3.29 ERA in 594 innings. Over that span, his 124 ERA+ ranks 19th among pitchers with 75-plus starts, sandwiched between Zack Wheeler (127) and Luis Castillo (123).

Bassitt lacks high-end stuff, instead relying on a deep pitch mix led by a 92-94 mph sinker to generate grounders while his four-seam fastball, cutter, slider and curveball each miss a fair amount of bats. His walk and strikeout rates are good, not great, but he limits damage by being hard to square up, allowing fewer than one homer per nine innings each of the past three seasons.

Traded from the A’s to the Mets after the lockout, Bassitt set career-highs with 30 starts and 182 innings, showing that his approach still works away from the pitcher-friendly dimensions in Oakland. Bassitt straddles the line between No. 2 starter and mid-rotation starter, and he’s older than his résumé would suggest, but few pitchers have been as consistently competent for the past five seasons.

8. Tyler Anderson, LHP

Age in 2023: 33
Last team: Dodgers

Tyler Anderson came into 2022 with a career 4.62 ERA, including a 4.49 ERA the previous two years even after leaving Colorado. Far from a hot commodity last offseason, he signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Dodgers after the lockout and made his first All-Star team at age 32, going 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA in 179 innings, including a 2.01 ERA after July 1. And yet, skepticism abounds.

Los Angeles has led the NL in ERA every year since 2017. No team reinvents more scrap-heap finds like Anderson with coaching and analytics. And no team more optimally positions its defense to aid pitchers by turning an absurdly high percentage of balls in play into outs. They tweaked his changeup, turning it into a weapon, and they allowed a .257 batting average on balls in play behind him.

Only five NL starters had a lower BABIP than Anderson and two of them were rotation mates Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin. It’s not a coincidence. As a staff, the Dodgers had a .256 BABIP. No other NL team was below .280. Anderson is better than he was before joining the Dodgers, but he’s unlikely to be as good anywhere else. How much of his improvement can stick is the big question.

9. Jameson Taillon, RHP

Age in 2023: 31
Last team: Yankees

After spending the majority of 2019 and all of 2020 on the Pirates’ injured list, Jameson Taillon turned in back-to-back healthy years in the Yankees’ rotation, starting 29 and 32 games. Taillon no longer has the high-octane raw stuff from his prospect days, which is understandable after multiple elbow surgeries and a bout with testicular cancer, but he’s settled in as a solid mid-rotation starter.

Taillon’s control took a big step forward two years removed from elbow surgery, with just 32 walks in 177 innings for the AL’s fifth-lowest rate. He’s got a deep pitch mix led by a mid-90s fastball, using curveballs (versus righties and lefties) and sliders (versus righties) to get swinging strikes. Dialing back his sinker has turned Taillon into a fly-ball pitcher susceptible to homers.

Given his non-linear career path and demonstrated ability to alter his approach, Taillon seemingly has more potential for upside than most 30-year-old veterans, but he’s also a league-average starter as is. In recent offseasons, starters like him have tended to get two- or three-year deals worth around $12 million per, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some teams value the former No. 2 pick a bit higher.

10. Taijuan Walker, RHP

Age in 2023: 30
Last team: Mets

Needing to reinvent himself after several years wrecked by arm injuries, Taijuan Walker developed a splitter that can be the key to the second half of his career. Playing off his mid-90s fastball, Walker’s high-80s splitter tricks hitters before falling off the table, inducing some pitiful-looking swings and misses. He threw 28 percent splitters in 2022, but the pitch ended 41 percent of his strikeouts.

And when contact was made against Walker’s splitter it had a negative average launch angle, meaning hitters pounded it directly into the ground, producing a .195 batting average and just two homers. That pitch, and back-to-back healthy seasons topping 150 innings for the first time since 2017, have Walker looking like a viable multi-year investment again. And he’s still just 30 years old.

Walker lacks a second above-average pitch, and his fastball got knocked around too often last season despite good velocity, but he has a deep repertoire of usable offerings and generally throws strikes. Two offseason ago, when injuries were a much bigger worry, Walker got a two-year, $20 million deal from the Mets that included a $6 million 2023 player option that became a no-brainer to decline.

11. José Quintana, LH

Age in 2023: 34
Last team: Cardinals

José Quintana was one of MLB’s best left-handers during six seasons with the White Sox, but his performance declined after a mid-2017 trade to the Cubs, and he was so bad in 2021 that the Pirates were able to sign him for $2 million last offseason. Pittsburgh got Quintana back on track and then shipped him to St. Louis, where he posted a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts after the trade deadline.

Quintana’s strikeout rate was just 20.2 percent, below the MLB average and his worst mark since 2013. His walk rate was average-ish and nearly identical to his career mark. So how did he turn things around and throw 166 innings with the first sub-3.00 ERA of his career at age 33? By not allowing homers. He gave up an MLB-low 0.4 homers per nine innings, including just one for the Cardinals.

While he’s generally done a good job limiting homers in the past, eight homers in 32 starts simply isn’t sustainable, especially attached to a neutral ground-ball rate. That doesn’t mean Quintana hasn’t legitimately resurrected his career, but rather that expecting him to be more than a quality mid-rotation starter would probably be a mistake requiring his low-90s fastball to remain damage-proof.

12. Andrew Heaney, LHP

Age in 2023: 32
Last team: Dodgers

Andrew Heaney was one of the first free agents to sign last offseason, getting a one-year, $8.5 million deal from the Dodgers in early November despite a 5.73 ERA in 2021 and a career 4.72 ERA. As usual, the Dodgers were right. He had an age-31 breakout, posting a 3.10 ERA and 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings by all but ditching his changeup and relying almost solely on fastballs and sliders.

His raw stuff was legitimately on another level in 2022, as Heaney’s fastball was up 1-2 mph and his slider was 3-4 mph harder than the curveball that served as his primary breaking ball previously. However, he also gave up 14 homers in 73 innings, a near-match for his bloated career rate, and Heaney was limited to 14 starts by shoulder problems that required two lengthy injured list stints.

Clearly the Dodgers were able to unlock something in Heaney, but interested teams must now decide how much they believe in his overall improvement and how much they trust his shoulder. Reintroducing his once-decent changeup to go with the souped-up fastball-slider combo may be intriguing, although suitors betting on his breakout probably don’t want to stray far from the Dodgers’ plan.

13. Noah Syndergaard, RHP

Age in 2023: 30
Last team: Phillies

Noah Syndergaard’s full-season return from Tommy John surgery was a success in that he stayed off the injured list and posted a decent-looking 3.94 ERA, but it was otherwise pretty discouraging. Once the majors’ hardest-throwing starter, Syndergaard’s fastball was missing 4-5 mph, and as a result his go-to changeup lost effectiveness when paired with a pitch that was 93-95 instead of 96-98.

Syndergaard whiffed at least a batter per inning in each season with the Mets, but his strikeout rate plummeted to 6.3 per nine innings last season, well below the MLB average of 8.2 for starters. He totaled just 31 strikeouts in 55 innings after a midseason trade to the Phillies, abandoning his four-seam fastball and nearly doubling his sinker usage in search of grounders rather than strikeouts.

That version of Thor lacks upside beyond a mid-rotation starter, but pounding the strike zone and keeping the ball on the ground is certainly a viable recipe for success in that realm. Syndergaard got a one-year, $21 million contract from the Angels last offseason and that level of annual salary is surely out of the question now, but some teams may still be willing to bet on his velocity returning.

14. Martín Pérez, LHP

Age in 2023: 32
Last team: Rangers

One of last offseason’s great values, Martín Pérez signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Rangers after the lockout and became a first-time All-Star at age 31, logging 196 innings with a 2.86 ERA following eight straight seasons with an ERA over 4.00. Pérez has had plenty of successful stretches before, but this was the first time he sustained it for an entire season.

Now the question is how much his improvement can be trusted as teams weigh whether to value Pérez as the 2022 All-Star or as the journeyman with a career 4.71 ERA coming into 2022. Pérez ditched his four-seam fastball and threw 60 percent sinkers and cutters, leading to a large increase in ground-ball rate. And his changeup remained an effective weapon versus right-handed hitters.

Pérez made enough clear approach changes to avoid labeling his 2022 purely a fluke, but ultimately his improvement can be traced almost entirely to allowing just 11 homers in 196 innings. His strikeout and walk rates were middling, and similar to career norms, but he gave up just 0.5 homers per nine innings, down from 1.3 the previous five seasons. That’s unlikely to be sustainable.

15. Sean Manaea, LHP

Age in 2023: 31
Last team: Padres

Sean Manaea’s go-to changeup failed him in 2022, turning his lone season with San Diego into a mess after six solid years in Oakland. As usual, the left-hander used the pitch nearly a third of the time versus right-handed batters, but instead of neutralizing them, his changeup got clobbered for a .528 slugging percentage compared to .305 the previous three years. He had a 4.96 ERA in 158 innings.

Within his overall struggles, Manaea’s sinker-slider combo was still effective as he held lefties to a .185 batting average and posted a strikeout rate in line with career norms. Teams convinced they can fix Manaea’s changeup likely view him as a solid mid-rotation option, but below-average velocity and middling control leave little margin for error if they’re wrong.

Manaea has benefited from pitcher-friendly home ballparks in both Oakland and San Diego. His career ERA is 3.68 at home and 4.45 on the road, with a 20 percent increase in homers and a 25-point jump in batting average on balls in play explaining the difference. He also hasn’t been quite the same since his 2019 shoulder surgery, looking much more like a No. 4 starter than a No. 2 starter.

16. Zach Eflin, RHP

Age in 2023: 29
Last team: Phillies

Zach Eflin is the youngest pitcher on this list, reaching free agency five months before his 29th birthday, but knee surgeries in multiple seasons mean he carries injury risk like many older starters. He missed three months in mid-2022 with knee pain, returning as a reliever in September and throughout October to post a 2.45 ERA and 21-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 innings.

Eflin has been an average-or-better starter in five straight years, but he’s thrown more than 130 innings just once, in 2019. He throws strikes with a 92-94 mph sinker that limits homers and a slow curveball that got a whiff on 44 percent of swings in 2022, giving Eflin a bit more upside than standard mid-rotation fare. It’s possible some teams will prefer him as a reliever if they don’t trust his knee.

17. Ross Stripling, RHP

Age in 2023: 33
Last team: Blue Jays

He’s spent most of his career bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, first in Los Angeles and then in Toronto, but when given extended chances to start Ross Stripling has more than held his own. He began 2022 as a long reliever, but ended up making 24 starts for the Blue Jays with a 2.92 ERA and 100-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 123 innings.

Stripling’s low-90s fastball and lack of a swing-and-miss breaking ball are why he hasn’t been handed full-time rotation spots, but he’s got a 3.86 ERA in 104 career starts, including a 3.77 ERA in 45 starts for Toronto and a 3.93 ERA in 59 starts for Los Angeles. His mistakes tend to get crushed for homers, but he throws strikes and keeps left-handed hitters off balance with a good changeup.

18. Mike Clevinger, RHP

Age in 2023: 32
Last team: Padres

Mike Clevinger seemed to run out of gas in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, allowing 34 runs in his final 54 regular-season innings before two awful playoff starts. However, before things unraveled he was looking a lot like his pre-surgery self, averaging 94.1 mph on his fastball and posting a 3.13 ERA with 59 strikeouts through 60 innings.

Clevinger turns 32 in December and this was his second Tommy John surgery, so the front-line, bat-missing starter with a 3.20 career ERA for Cleveland may be gone for good, but it seems natural to think he could be a solid mid-rotation option another year removed from surgery. He feels like a prime candidate for a one-year deal to reestablish his value and re-enter the market next offseason.

19. Michael Wacha, RHP

Age in 2023: 31
Last team: Red Sox

Micheal Wacha struggled for most of 2021 with Tampa Bay, but he finished on a high note with a 45-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his final 39 innings to earn a one-year, $7 million deal from Boston last offseason. Building on that success in 2022, he started 23 times with a 3.32 ERA and 104-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 127 innings for his best season since his lone All-Star year in 2015.

Wacha never became the front-line starter many expected based on his excellent first few years with the Cardinals, posting a combined 4.62 ERA in 673 innings from 2016 to 2021. However, he’s still just 31 years old and, while his fastball is far too hittable, Wacha has relied on it less and less recently while leaning more on his great changeup. His last 30 starts show some upside remains.

20. Johnny Cueto, RHP

Age in 2023: 37
Last team: White Sox

Multiple contending teams with rotation holes bypassed Johnny Cueto after the lockout, preferring other low-cost veterans. He waited until after the season was underway to get a minor-league contract from the White Sox and wasn’t added to the active roster until May 16, at which point he started every fifth game for the next five months and finished with a 3.35 ERA in 158 innings.

Gerrit Cole, Shane Bieber and Framber Valdez were the only AL pitchers with more innings than Cueto after mid-May, which is remarkable for a 36-year-old who hadn’t topped 150 innings since 2016. His velocity tank is empty, but he’s a master at keeping hitters off balance with a five-pitch mix and varied deliveries, avoiding walks and hard contact while getting chases outside the strike zone.

(Top photo of Jacob deGrom: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)



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Indiana Pacers agree to 2-year, $9.6M deal with free-agent center Jalen Smith

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Free-agent center Jalen Smith has agreed to a two-year, $9.6 million deal to return to the Indiana Pacers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

A former top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Suns, Smith’s career in Phoenix ended after just one full season as he was traded to the Pacers in a trade deadline deal for Torrey Craig.

The Suns decided not to pick up Smith’s team option of $4.7 million for 2022-23 after the young forward’s rookie season, which made him a free agent this summer. It was a shocking move; rarely will a team give up control of a top pick that early in his career.

Smith, 22, blossomed with more playing time in Indiana, averaging 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1 block while shooting 53% from the field and 37.3% from 3 in 22 games.

The Pacers, who agreed to trade guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics earlier Friday, have spent the past several months realigning their roster around a young core that now includes Smith, Tyrese Haliburton and 2022 first-round pick Bennedict Mathurin.

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Freddie Freeman fires agents, ‘angry’ with free-agent talks: Report

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On Friday, Freddie Freeman was in tears upon his first trip to Atlanta as a visiting player.

On Tuesday, he reportedly fired the agents that oversaw his offseason departure from the Braves to the Los Angeles Dodgers. ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the first baseman has cut ties with Excel Sports Management, which failed to reach an agreement with the Braves before Freeman signed as a free agent with the Dodgers. Per Olney, Freeman is “angry with how his free-agent negotiations played out.”

After the report, Freeman described his representation as a “fluid” situation in a statement to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.

“Last weekend in Atlanta was a very emotional time for me and my family,” Freeman’s statement reads. “I am working through some issues with my longtime agents at Excel. My representation remains a fluid situation, and I will update if needed.”

Bowman confirmed that Freeman has filed paperwork to terminate his relationship with Excel Sports while stopping short of confirming that the agency had formally been terminated.

Freddie Freeman waits during batting practice before Friday’s game vs. the Braves. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Would Freeman rather play for Braves?

Until his offseason departure, Freeman was the face of the Braves franchise that selected him in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. Freeman made his big-league debut with the Braves in 2010 and played in Atlanta for 12 seasons, earning five All-Star bids and the 2020 NL MVP award. He helped lead the Braves to their first World Series victory since 1995 last season.

Freeman entered the offseason as a free agent, where talks with the Braves broke down. The Braves reportedly offered Freeman $135 million over five years shortly after the end of the offseason lockout. Per Olney, Freeman’s lead agent Casey Close responded with a “significantly higher” counteroffer. Atlanta reportedly responded by bumping the offer up to $140 million.

A deadline reportedly set by Excel passed, and the Braves moved on by trading for Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson and signing him to an eight-year, $168 million extension. The next day, Freeman signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers that includes $57 million in deferred salary. Per Olney, the deferred money combined with higher California taxes could ultimately net Freeman less than the Braves offer.

Freeman’s emotional return to Atlanta

Meanwhile, Freeman has strong emotions for the only franchise he played for prior to joining Los Angeles. He fought thorough tears for the entire 16 minutes of his pregame news conference on Friday after the Dodgers traveled to Atlanta for a three-game series. His emotions remained on display as Braves manager Brian Snitker presented him with his World Series ring alongside a chorus of “Freddie, Freddie, Freddie” from the sold-out Truist Field stands.

Per the Los Angeles Times, Freeman said on Tuesday that he’s not concerned people who believe that he wishes he was still an Atlanta Brave.

“That time is over,” Freeman said. “I’m a Los Angeles Dodger now. If they want to perceive me, how I feel about an organization I spent half my life with, then that’s how they want to perceive me. That’s fine. I’m OK with that.

“But I’ve had three months. I’ve had time to grieve and do all my research and gather information. It’s time to move on and focus on the Dodgers. And that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”



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Free-agent QB Cam Newton under fire for comments about women who ‘don’t know when to be quiet’

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second time in his NFL career, 2015 league MVP Cam Newton is being scrutinized on social media for making a sexist comment regarding women.

The 32-year-old free-agent quarterback, on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast released Monday, complained about women who “can’t cook” and “don’t know when to be quiet.”

“Now a woman, for me, is handling your own but knowing how to cater to a man’s needs. Right?” Newton said on the podcast. “And I think a lot of times when you get that aesthetic of like, ‘I’m a boss b—-, I’m this, I’m that.’

“No, baby! But you can’t cook. You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead.”

In 2017, as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, Newton responded about how “funny” it was hearing a female reporter ask a question about a receiver running routes.

“It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes,” he said in response to a question from then-Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue. “It’s funny.”

In a statement at the time, the league said, “The comments are just plain wrong and disrespectful to the exceptional female reporters and all journalists. They do not reflect the thinking of the league.”

Newton later apologized in a two-minute video without addressing Rodrigue by name.

“After careful thought, I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading and disrespectful to women,” he said at the time. “To be honest, that was not my intentions. And if you are a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you.”

The league did not immediately respond when asked for comments about Newton’s latest quotes.

Newton spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Panthers after being selected with the top pick of the 2011 draft. He spent the 2020 season with the New England Patriots but was cut at the end of the 2021 training camp.

He signed a one-year deal late last season with the Panthers and went 0-5 as the starter. He has not been signed by another team in free agency, but Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer and coach Matt Rhule recently left the door open for his return. A team spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday.

“I love Cam Newton,” Rhule said at the NFL owners meeting in South Florida last month. “He’s an amazing leader. He’s an amazing football player. Everything we do has to be right for the organization, right for him.”

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From Carlos Correa to Trevor Story, Keith Law’s expectations for the weekend’s biggest free-agent signings – The Athletic

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After a weekend that saw the final big names removed from the list of free agents, Keith Law breaks down what to expect from each player.

Carlos Correa to Minnesota Twins

The Twins’ signing of Carlos Correa might be the biggest shock of the offseason, but it’s also one of the best moves any team has made and further underscores the Twins’ determination to return to contention after a disappointing showing in 2021. He addresses one of their biggest needs and comes on a short-term deal that limits the Twins’ downside, and could end up being as simple as a one-year contract for one of the best players in baseball.

The Twins got nothing out of shortstop in 2021, with an aggregate line of .233/.298/.323, mostly from a not-100 percent Andrelton Simmons, who fielded well but hasn’t hit since suffering a serious ankle injury in 2020. Correa was worth nearly six more wins than Simmons last year, hitting .279/.366/.485, and that’s not even his career-best. He alone had 14 more homers, 14 more doubles and 28 more walks than all Twins shortstops combined. With Simmons gone to the Cubs, the Twins didn’t have anyone on the roster capable of playing shortstop every day in the majors right now, so they had to get someone. But instead of just settling for anybody who could stand at the position, they got the best free agent on the market.

Correa’s contract guarantees just one year at $35.1 million, after which he has two player options for 2023 and 2024 at the same salary.

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Twins land free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa in stunning $105.3 million, three-year deal

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FORT MYERS, FLA. – Carlos Correa chose Minnesota late Friday night to serve as the staging area for the second half of his All-Star, Gold Glove, borderline MVP-level career, accepting a contract that makes him the highest-salaried player in Twins history.

Technically, Correa’s contract lasts three years and pays him $35.1 million in each, or more than half again as much as Joe Mauer’s $23 million annual salary, the Twins’ previous highest ever. But the Twins also gave him the right to tear up the contract next October, or 12 months later, and become a free agent once again — an option he almost certainly will exercise to pursue the $300 million-plus deal he was seeking this offseason.

Whether Correa stays for seven months or for a decade, however, the Twins and their fans will always be able to savor the electrifying late-night thrill of baseball’s most highly prized free agent, coming off the most individually successful season of his career, picking Minnesota. Not to mention the pinch-me-I’m-dreaming prospect of putting him into the middle of their lineup.

“We’re going to be good,” Jorge Polanco said after hearing his double-play partner was one of the top five players in the AL last season. “We are going to be good, really good.”

So one of baseball’s top free agents gets a three-year, $105.3 million deal with his yearly salary making him the fourth highest paid player in baseball, with opt-outs after 2022 and 2023 in a deal worked by the Twins and agent Scott Boras.

The Twins won’t make the deal official until Correa passes a physical Sunday. Correa did change the background on his Twitter account (@teamCJCorrea) to Target Field, though.

Shortstop has been a glaring area of need for the Twins this offseason, their biggest priority along with pitching. The Twins seemed to have acquired a starting shortstop last weekend when they traded Mitch Garver to Texas for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. But a day later, the Twins flipped Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson to the Yankees for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. That trade also unburdened the Twins from the remaining two years of Donaldson’s contract, about $50 million.

With some money in hand, the Twins front office had been working hard for other deals, but their phones were pretty quiet for the past week. The Correa deal came together quickly and unexpectedly, as many figured the Twins were more in the market for free-agent shortstop Trevor Story.

“I knew they were looking for someone. And I’m glad they had a good one, a great one, in mind,” Polanco said. “He’s a good hitter, a good player.”

Top two from 2012

Correa was the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft ahead of new teammate Byron Buxton, and became a two-time All Star with the Houston Astros, helping them to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons. The 27-year-old won the 2017 World Series, played in two others, and was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015.

The Puerto Rico native, who made his big league debut at age 20, had a .981 fielding percentage and .279 batting average last season, hitting 26 home runs. He also won his first Gold Glove and, according to Baseball Reference, he had the fourth-best WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in the major leagues at 7.2, trailing only Angels pitcher-DH Shohei Ohtani, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler and Toronto (now Texas) infielder Marcus Semien.

Correa has a career .413 average at Target Field, where the Astros swept the Twins in a best-of-three playoff series in 2020.

During their 2017 championship season, however, the Astros stole signs at home games by using a video camera in the outfield to see signals from the opposing catcher. MLB imposed severe penalties on the team and GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J Hinch were both fired, and Correa said: “We were wrong for everything we did in 2017. It’s not what we stand for. It’s not what we want to portray as an organization, and we were definitely wrong about all that and we feel really sorry.”

Correa’s arrival means Polanco can focus on second base, where he played the majority of last season to great success, when he hit career highs with 33 home runs and 98 RBI. Luis Arraez figures to return to a utility role with Urshela at third and Miguel Sano at first base.

“I can’t for him to get here so we can start getting to know each other,” Polanco said.

Lewis still on deck

An interesting aspect of Correa’s contract are the opt-outs, meaning he could only be with the Twins for a season. The Twins might only need him for that long, with top prospect Royce Lewis in the pipeline.

Boras is also Lewis’ agent.

Before the pandemic canceling minor league ball in 2020 and Lewis tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last March, Lewis was the future at shortstop. He played his first game since spring 2020 on Friday, so getting the 22-year-old to the majors by this season was a big ask.

“We needed a shortstop. I’m not on the big-league team. So I’m just here working to better myself and continue to gain some knowledge and wisdom around these guys,” Lewis said. “So I think it’s a great idea.

“… If I was in the big leagues, it’s a different story. But I’m not. So they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do to win up there.”

Correa’s $35.1 million salary for 2022 is behind only Mets pitcher Max Scherzer ($44.33 million), Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million) and Angels center fielder Mike Trout ($35.54 million).

The Twins probably aren’t done adding players in spring training — they signed reliever Joe Smith later Saturday, and they could be focused on another deal to acquire a starting pitcher, although they would likely have to give up some top prospects. They have already sent their top pick in the 2021 draft, pitcher Chase Petty, to the Reds to get Sonny Gray, who projects as the No. 1 starter this season.

But there’s no doubt that Correa changes the Twins’ season outlook, and gives them perhaps the best up-the-middle defensive alignment in the league.

“The middle of our field is going to be lockdown,” righthander Bailey Ober said of having Correa, Polanco and Buxton behind him. “It’s going to be pretty cool to see those guys play back there.”



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