Assessing who could possibly be within the combine for free-agent SS Carlos Correa

Shortstop Carlos Correa is likely one of the prime free agent accessible and he’s unsurprisingly drawing loads of curiosity. Jon Heyman of The New York Post stories that eight groups are interested by his companies, however the Twins are anticipated to “go exhausting” of their makes an attempt to retain him.

Heyman doesn’t point out any groups by identify aside from the Twins, who’re already identified to be making a concerted effort to maintain Correa in Minnesota. It was reported earlier this week that they’ve made a number of gives to him, with various lengths between six and ten years, presumably with increased salaries on the shorter offers and decrease salaries on the longer offers. Along with the Twins, Correa has already been publicly linked not directly to the Giants, Dodgers and Cubs. Since Heyman says eight groups are concerned, it seems there are 4 “thriller groups” on the desk.

As to who these thriller groups are, we will solely guess, although there can be some logical matches. Mariners’ president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has mentioned the membership is planning to pursue shortstops to play second base in deference to J.P. Crawford. The Phillies are known to be on the lookout for a shortstop this winter. The Braves might want to exchange Dansby Swanson if they’ll’t re-sign him however they may not have the financial ability to go after Correa. The Orioles have been speculated as a match on condition that normal supervisor Mike Elias was working for the Astros when Correa was drafted and developed, although they don’t have a observe report that might recommend they’d give out the kind of contract it could require to land him.

One shocking group that could possibly be within the combine is the Padres. Heyman doesn’t straight join the membership to Correa however he does say they’re contemplating the free agent shortstops. The Padres have been extraordinarily aggressive lately and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller shouldn’t actually be counted out on anybody, nevertheless it’s nonetheless surprising to see the membership linked to this market. The Friars received by with out Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2022, who missed the primary half of the season attributable to a wrist damage and the second half attributable to a suspension for a constructive take a look at for performance-enhancing medicine.

In his absence, Ha-Seong Kim stepped up and had a wonderful season. He hit .251/.325/.383 for a wRC+ of 105 whereas stealing 12 bases and offering glorious protection. All of Defensive Runs Saved, Final Zone Ranking and Outs Above Common gave him constructive grades, permitting him to supply 3.7 wins above substitute, in accordance with FanGraphs. With Tatis set to return in 2023 as soon as he serves the ultimate 20 video games of his suspension, it could appear the place is already crowded sufficient as it’s. Nevertheless, Heyman’s report signifies the membership is open to the thought of shifting Tatis to the outfield, one thing he’s dabbled with prior to now, whereas bumping Kim right into a utility position.

It had been previously reported that the membership was contemplating an alignment of Kim at quick, Tatis at second and Jake Cronenworth at first. It appears that evidently this new plan can be considerably comparable however with Tatis going to the outfield, maybe changing Jurickson Profar, who’s now a free agent, in left. No matter how it could ultimately play out, Heyman lists Xander Bogaerts as their most popular possibility for this plan. Marino Pepén additionally connects the Padres to Bogaerts, although he says they’re behind the Phillies and the Pink Sox within the bidding.

Payroll is perhaps an element for the Friars, as Roster Resource at present pegs their payroll at $210M and their aggressive stability tax quantity at $230M, slightly below the primary CBT threshold of $233M. The membership has nudged over the CBT line prior to now two years however signing a marquee shortstop would absolutely imply blowing previous the primary threshold and flirting with the second, which is $253M. As a third-time payor, the Padres are already going through a 50% tax on all spending over the primary the primary threshold plus a 12% surcharge on spending over the second. Which means each greenback they go over $253M can be taxed at a 62% charge. The membership has frequently stunned onlookers with their aggression in current seasons, which means it shouldn’t be fully dominated out. However it could be fairly a noteworthy escalation, particularly with the membership linked to different huge free brokers like José Abreu and Kodai Senga.

As for the Giants, who’ve been linked to the free agent shortstops for a while, they must reply the Brandon Crawford query in the event that they reach signing a brand new shortstop. He’s been with the membership since being drafted again in 2008 and has been a mainstay at shortstop for them since 2011. He turns 36 in January, has one 12 months remaining on his extension and is coming off a down 12 months in 2022. He made a number of journeys to the injured record and posted a batting line of .231/.308/.344, wRC+ of 87. DRS and UZR had been down on his work within the discipline, however he did earn 7 OAA.

As to how the membership would deal with a brand new shortstop with Crawford on the roster, it appears that evidently it could rely who the shortstop is. In line with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Crawford would transfer to 3rd base in the event that they signed Correa, however Trea Turner or Dansby Swanson can be put in at second base. That’s probably a mirrored image of the truth that Turner and Swanson have lesser throwing arms than the opposite two. In line with the Statcast arm strength leaderboard amongst shortstops, Swanson comes forty eighth out of fifty whereas Turner is twenty sixth. Crawford is a bit increased at 19 whereas Correa is at #6. Correa’s glorious arm power arguably makes him a match for third base, however his total protection is superior to Crawford’s at this stage of their careers. No matter how smart the arguments could also be, it’s at the least a bit shocking that the Giants are apparently prepared to supplant Crawford at shortstop below the appropriate circumstances.