Two weeks after the Giants thought they landed their franchise player, the team is discussing the ‘frustrating’ ordeal and gave some insight into what Carlos Correa seems to be focused on now.
Correa, whose deal with the Mets has hit a snag over concerns with his physical, initially had a 13-year, $350 million agreement with San Francisco that blew up over similar concerns.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spoke to reporters Friday and addressed the situation, while explaining why a reunion with Correa appears ‘pretty unlikely’ as the two-time All-Star is seemingly trying to make things work with New York.
Zaidi confirmed that both the Giants and Correa’s camp had a ‘difference of opinion’ regarding the shortstop’s physical. He did emphasize that this was not just an ‘eleventh hour’ change of heart.
“I was on the phone with Scott Boras on the Monday that we did Carlos’ physical right when his plane landed in San Francisco at 5 p.m. and those conversations continued from that point,” Zaidi said. “As soon as we had information we shared it.”
Regarding a potential reunion, he added: “we’ve had some conversations since then, but our understanding is they’re focused on a deal elsewhere at this point. I think the chances of a deal with us at this point are pretty unlikely based on their position.”
The reason both the Mets and Giants have been hesitant is due to the arthroscopic surgery Correa underwent in June 2014 to repair a fractured right fibula and minor ligament damage he suffered in the minor leagues as a 19-year-old.
Though Correa has never gone on the IL with a right-leg problem, he did make reference to the hardware in his leg after a game late last season.
On Sep. 20, he appeared to have injured that leg on a hard slide against the Royals. Following the game, he said “he just hit my plate” and that it “just kind of felt numb.” He went on to miss no time after the incident.
Correa would be the icing on the cake to what’s been a terrific offseason in New York. If the two sides are able to come to terms on a new deal, he could be that middle-of-the-order piece that helps put this team over the top.
Owner Steve Cohen told the NY Post following the initial agreement, “We needed one more thing, and this is it.”
Correa is coming off a year in which he posted a .291 average, .366 OBP, and .834 OPS across 136 games. He recorded 24 doubles, 22 home runs, and 66 RBI while playing stellar defense at shortstop.
The 28-year-old superstar is said to be excited and willing to move to third base to play alongside good friend and fellow Puerto-Rico native Francisco Lindor.