The Giants have welcomed several players to Oracle Park this season who they missed on in free agency. Shohei Ohtani. Aaron Judge. Bryce Harper. But Carlos Correa differs from them all in one key department.
He agreed to play in San Francisco.
Correa will make his first appearance at Oracle Park since his infamous free-agent saga, one in which he agreed to record-breaking contracts with the Giants and Mets that both fell through and ended with the shortstop re-signing with the Twins.
“I’m the type of guy that turns the page really easily,” Correa told reporters in Minneapolis last year. “It was definitely different. It was very unexpected. But at the same time, it had to happen that way and I’m very happy that I’m here now, today.”
December of 2022 will go down as one of the most infamous offseason months in Giants franchise history. After missing out on signing Judge, the Giants pivoted to Correa, agreeing with the All-Star on a 13-year, $350 million contract. It wasn’t just the largest deal in franchise history, but it was the first time San Francisco signed a true superstar in their prime since Barry Bonds in 1993.
Then, things turned. Less than three hours before Correa’s introduction, the press conference was postponed due to a concern with Correa’s physical exam. Hours later, the Mets swooped in and agreed with Correa on a 12-year, $315-million deal. Correa wasn’t destined to wear New York orange either as the Mets raised their own concerns with Correa’s physical. That deal, too, was called off. In the end, Correa re-joined the Twins on a six-year, $200 million pact the following January.
The entire debacle was, in a word, unprecedented.
Correa greatly underperformed in his first season following his extension. Over 135 games, he posted career lows in batting average (.230), on-base percentage (.312), slugging percentage (.399). His WAR, as calculated by FanGraphs, of 1.9 was also the lowest of his career in a full year.
This season, Correa has returned to All-Star form and was rewarded with his third selection to the Midsummer Classic. Entering Thursday, Correa is hitting .310 with a .905 OPS, 13 home runs and 47 RBIs, his best offensive season since his days in Houston. He has dealt with some ailments since signing his deal with Minnesota but hasn’t been sidelined due to any ankle injuries.
In the last two seasons, the Giants have rotated nine players through shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt, Johan Camargo, Marco Luciano, Nick Ahmed, Paul DeJong, Thairo Estrada and Tyler Fitzgerald. Per FanGraphs, that collection of shortstops has hit .239/.292/.360 with 19 home runs over the last two years (entering Thursday). On Tuesday, Ahmed, San Francisco’s starting shortstop for most of the year, was designated for assignment.
While Luciano hasn’t seized the starting shortstop job, the Giants have settled into a platoon of Fitzgerald and Wisely. Fitzgerald, 26, and Wisely, 25, haven’t just been solid hitters this season, but both can play center field, providing manager Bob Melvin with lineup flexibility.
Neither Fitzgerald nor Wisely can match the production of Correa on their own. But following a year-and-a-half of searching, the Giants appear to have found some stability at the shortstop position.
