Alex Pavlovic and Cole Kuiper react to the huge news that free agent shortstop Carlos Correa has agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants finally won the bidding for a superstar, and in the process, they locked up a new face of the franchise for years to come.
The Giants and Carlos Correa are in agreement on a 13-year, $350 million contract, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area. The contract is the largest in franchise history, more than twice the previous record held by Buster Posey, and tied for the longest ever given to a free agent.
The mark was previously held by only Bryce Harper, a player Farhan Zaidi and the Giants chased in 2019. They fell short, which has become a theme over the years when it comes to marquee free agents, but a week after losing out on Aaron Judge, the Giants found their fit.
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The agreement between Correa and the Giants was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan.
In Correa, the Giants are betting on a 28-year-old shortstop who is just one year removed from winning the Platinum Glove given to the best fielder in baseball. Correa is a two-time All-Star who finished fifth in the AL MVP voting in 2021 and has six 20-homer seasons in eight years in the big leagues. He is one of the most powerful shortstops in the game, and a good bet to stay at the position well into his thirties.
Beyond the talent, the Giants are betting on the person. Team officials have been confident that he has the right personality and work ethic to lead their clubhouse for years to come and be the face of a franchise that has been searching for a way to bring more fans to Oracle Park. Correa has a very good reputation within the game, with just one notable misstep.
Correa was one of the stars of the 2017 Houston Astros team that stole signs en route to a title. The Giants were probably better-positioned than any franchise to take that on, though. That Astros team beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
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To try and catch the Dodgers and free-spending San Diego Padres in the NL West, the Giants have gone big this winter. Joc Pederson accepted the Qualifying Offer and is returning. Now Correa joins Mitch Haniger, Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea as free-agent additions, and they're not done. The Giants are still seeking bullpen help and have been active in that search.
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Correa can now act as a draw for other free agents. The Giants had previously offered Harper $310 million and Judge $360 million to lead the way, but both ended up elsewhere. On Tuesday, the Giants came out on top.