If Correa can stay healthy he is on track to be a generational talent at shortstop. Correa has produced a whopping 39.5 WAR for his career which is more than every shortstop in history through age 27 save for Álex Rodríguez and Hall of Famers Arky Vaughan, Cal Ripken and Robin Yount. Yet, given similar contract lengths and AAV, I have Carlos Correa as the number one option for the Phillies shortstop position this offseason. He also doesn’t have the connection to Bryce Harper and lacks the pure hustle and playing style of Trea Turner. I think that Carlos Correa’s involvement with the Houston Astros cheating scandal has a lot to do with Phillies fans apparent apathy regarding his potential signing. With the Phillies set to pay the luxury tax again in 2023, that would mean surrendering an even higher pick than normal. Turner may have had the better 2022 season, but overall Carlos Correa has posted superior numbers both offensively and defensively.Ĭorrea is also the only one of the four shortstop who isn’t eligible to receive a Qualifying Offer this offseason, meaning the Phillies would not have to surrender a top draft pick to sign him. When you compare their statistics over the past 8 campaigns, the numbers done lie. Correa, 28, is a full year younger than Turner which matters when handing out a contract that could reach a decade in length.īoth Correa and Turner have been in the league since the 2015 season. Personally, I think Phillies fans are so enamored with Trea Turner, that they are conveniently forgetting just how good Carlos Correa is. Despite a few statistics that painted Correa as a negative defensive player in 2022, UZR and UZR/150 put him in the top-15 defensively amongst his peers. His 5.4 WAR was tied for the third best of his 8-year career and after struggling defensively to begin the season, Correa turned in his 8th consecutive season playing above-average defense at shortstop. Much of that can be attributed to an anemic Twins offense rather than any sign of regression from the 28-year-old Correa. The Minnesota Twins, not exactly known for being a hotbed free agent destination, will surely have trouble making the type of financial commitment needed to secure his services.Ĭareer: .279/.357/.479 (129 OPS+), 155 HR, 39.5 WAR in 888 GĬorrea’s on-field performance in 2022 was solid despite the fact that he accounted for 30 fewer RBI than in the previous season with the Houston Astros. Now that his opt-out is official, Correa will hope that an offseason free of the chaos caused by a work stoppage in the winter of 2021-22 will net him a long term deal with a similar AAV in the $30-35 million range. That short term deal carried a higher AAV, but gave Correa the flexibility of opting out following the conclusion of each season. Last year Correa, who is represented by a notoriously tough negotiator in Scott Boras, failed to get the long term offer he felt matched his production and instead shocked the baseball world by signing a 3-year pact with the Minnesota Twins. This will be the second straight offseason that Correa will test the free market in the hopes of securing a long term deal with a total value above $300 million. Recently opted out of a $35.1 million guarantee for 2023 with the Twins. These are my definitive shortstop rankings (subject to change) A decision like this could impact the ceiling of this team for the next half decade or more. Yet, the market wont be cheap for the Phils, as the top deals could require a commitment similar to the one Bryce Harper received in 2019. If you are team looking for a shortstop like the Phillies, it’s a great year to be shopping around. All four of the premiere free agent shortstops in the class of 2022 have won a World Series Championship with the original teams and posted above 5 WAR last season. The 2022 free agent shortstop class is possibly the strongest in the history of baseball.
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