How many teams remain in the mix for Carlos Correa?
The Minnesota Twins are still pursuing Carlos Correa as the MLB Winter Meetings came to a close Wednesday, but there are others reportedly salivating over the possibility of signing the star shortstop.
Correa's market heated up on Wednesday after Aaron Judge agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract with the New York Yankees. And he's now the guy on the market after Xander Bogaerts reportedly signed an 11-year, $280 million deal with the San Diego Padres late Wednesday night.
So who's still in the mix for Correa?
The San Francisco Giants are one of those teams after they came up empty in their reported pursuit of Judge. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the Giants were "the most obvious fit" for Correa and with $300 million to spend and a sky-high ground ball rate, it could be an enticing situation for the 28-year-old.
Where will Carlos Correa go?
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) December 8, 2022
If you look at teams and their groundball percentage in 2022 as a staff, it could tell the story.
Highest GB% in MLB as a team: Giants (First)
Among lowest GB% in MLB as a team: Twins (26th) and Padres (28th)
High GB% means more plays for a SS 🧐
The Dodgers could be in the market for a shortstop after Trea Turner signed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week but Rosenthal also reported that they are not pursuing Correa due to the negative fan response the move would trigger because Correa was a member of the 2017 Houston Astros, who were infamously linked to a sign-stealing scandal on the way to a World Series win over the Dodgers.
What about the Cubs?
"The Cubs view [Dansby] Swanson as perhaps their most realistic target at shortstop, assuming they don’t go big for Correa," Rosenthal wrote Wednesday.
If the Twins don't re-sign with Correa, it won't be for a lack of effort. The Athletic's Dan Hayes and Aaron Gleeman reported the Twins have already met with Correa three times since the start of the Winter Meetings on Sunday, including a dinner over the weekend that included Carlos Rodón and Bogaerts. All three, by the way, are Scott Boras clients.
The Twins have reportedly made other contingency plans as the report from Hayes and Gleeman also report that they've set up a meeting with Dansby Swanson. The 28-year-old is also considered a top shortstop on the market but could come at a cheaper price after hitting .277/.329/.447 with 25 homers with the Atlanta Braves last season.
Gleeman and Hayes have also reported the Twins are active in the trade market as Max Kepler has drawn interest in addition to an earlier report that Luis Arraez could be made available in a trade for pitching.
