The San Francisco Giants had planned to introduce new shortstop Carlos Correa during a Tuesday press conference. However, that press conference has been postponed because of a medical concern that came to light during the physical, the Associated Press reports. Correa and the Giants had earlier agreed to a 13-year, $350 million free-agent contract.
Most contracts in MLB, particularly high-dollar free-agent pacts, are not finalized until the player in question passes a physical conducted by the signing team. If issues arise during that physical, then the agreement can be renegotiated, scrapped altogether, or proceed as planned. It's not yet certain what path the Giants and Correa will take moving forward.
Correa has dealt with various health issues and injuries in his career, including back and neck problems when he was with the Astros. Again, the nature of the present concern is not yet known, so it may be unrelated to any prior issues.
Correa, who turned 28 in September, spent 2022 with the Minnesota Twins on what amounted to a one-year contract worth $35.1 million with a two-year, $70.2 million insurance policy in case his performance cratered or he suffered a catastrophic injury. Neither happened and Correa opted out of his contract after the season and is poised to cash in this offseason. His pending deal with the Giants is the largest ever for a shortstop and the largest ever for a former No. 1 overall draft pick. Overall, Correa's $350 million pact is the fourth-largest deal for an MLB player, trailing only Mike Trout's $426.5 million extension with the Angels, Mookie Betts' $365 million extension with the Dodgers, and Aaron Judge's recent $360 million deal with the Yankees. That, of course, is assuming that the deal is finalized.
The Giants earlier this offseason came close to signing Aaron Judge, who eventually returned to the Yankees. Suffice it to say, they have much riding on the pact with Correa and would surely like to see it finalized in some fashion, barring major concerns. For now, though, finalization of the contract remains on hold.
