The Giants signed free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a 13-year deal, adding even more fuel to the Dodgers’ rivalry with San Francisco.
The Giants struck out on slugging outfielder Aaron Judge, and it looks like they’re not going to re-sign left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon. But they got their man at shortstop.
Thirteen years is a long, long time, and $350 million is … I believe the scientific term is “a crapload of money.” The 13-year commitment is tied for the longest free-agent deal in history, along with Bryce Harper’s contract with the Phillies, and the $350 million is the fourth-largest overall guarantee behind Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Judge.
Correa’s deal is also the third contract of 11 years or longer handed out in the past two weeks, which is bonkers. Before this offseason, Harper’s contract was the only free-agent deal of 11+ years in history.
But if anyone is worth it, it’s probably Correa, who was the youngest and the best of the big four free-agent shortstops. The Dodgers were apparently never in on Correa, and they likely were only going to be involved if his market stalled like it did last offseason. But Correa is another year removed from the controversy of cheating to win the 2017 World Series, and a year with a team other than the Astros probably helped that public perception.
In the end, it seems the Dodgers were the only team affected by the taint of Correa’s history, which seems backwards. L.A. was the team that had a World Series stolen from them, so why are they also the only team that gets punished in free agency, too? It’s okay for anyone else to sign him, but he has to be off-limits to the Dodgers for some reason.
Oh well, it’s good for the rivalry. By the end of Correa’s career, he will have stolen a World Series from the Dodgers, gotten engaged on their field, and then spent over a decade playing for their biggest rivals. It will make a good book, probably.
