There have been so many twists and turns to the Carlos Correa saga that it probably wouldn’t have surprised many if the silence over the last week resulted in Correa leaving the Mets for another suitor. But no matter what happens from here, the All-Star shortstop likely won’t end up with the Giants.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, speaking publicly for the first time since the Correa deal was agreed to and then fell apart, said the Giants have had recent conversations with the shortstop's agent, Scott Boras, including on other free agents, but no longer feel in the mix.
After Correa agreed to terms with the Mets, he reportedly ran into issues with their physical, too. That was nearly a week ago, and that deal still hasn’t been finalized, but it seems likely to go through in some form.
“Our understanding, and it has been reported elsewhere, is that they’re focused on a deal elsewhere at this point,” Zaidi said. “I think the chances of a deal with us at this point are pretty unlikely based on their position.”
The Giants initially agreed to terms on a 13-year, $350 million contract with Correa on Dec. 14 but ran into an issue during his physical five days later. Per sources, their concern was with Correa’s ankle, which he injured in 2014.
Less than a day after the Giants informed Boras that they were no longer executing the deal, the Mets and Correa agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract. Correa took his physical in New York last Thursday and Friday, and over the weekend, it was reported that Mets doctors have similar concerns as the Giants.
There have been no updates since Saturday, but the industry expectation is that Correa will agree to an altered deal with the Mets. Zaidi declined to speculate about what might have happened had the Giants been given more time after failing to finalize their deal.
San Francisco Giants
Zaidi acknowledged it has been frustrating in recent weeks because he and the Giants have been limited in what they can publicly say. They still are, but he said the Giants operated in “good faith” the entire time and were unified throughout the organization on the final decision.
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While the Correa dream is dead, the Giants introduced reliever Taylor Rogers on Friday, and expect to do the same shortly with outfielder Michael Conforto. Zaidi said they might add a couple more pieces before spring training and repeated multiple times that he likes the group that has been put together.
“There’s been a lot of attention paid to players we wound up not signing, rather than the players we have signed,” he said. “We’re really excited about the group of players we brought in.”