The San Francisco Giants postponed a Tuesday press conference to introduce Carlos Correa after a medical concern arose during the All-Star shortstop’s physical exam, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
People spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, because the Giants have not publicly announced any details about Correa’s 13-year, $350 million contract, or even Tuesday’s availability to present the prizewinner. free agent.
One person confirmed that Tuesday’s conference to welcome Correa had been suspended as the sides awaited test results. A second person said a medical issue was flagged during Correa’s physical.
Correa and the Giants agreed on Dec. 13 to the big deal, subject to a successful physical, according to one of the people. Correa was placed on the injured list seven times during his eight-year career.
The media availability had been scheduled for 11 am PST at Oracle Park, but was canceled about three hours before it took place. The Giants did not provide an explanation as to why.
It was unclear whether the parties discussed renegotiating the Correa deal.
Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, is a career average of . 279 with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in eight big league seasons. He also had a stellar postseason performance with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 79 games.
Virtually the only criticism of Correa’s resume is its durability. He played at least 150 games in a season only once because of various injuries.
Correa was a free agent a year ago after leaving the Houston Astros and reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That deal gave the two-time All-Star the right to quit after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again.
Correa, 28, has terminated his contract and returned to the free agent market.
Correa’s guarantee from the Giants would be the fourth-longest in baseball history. Mike Trout landed a $426.5 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts has a $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Aaron Judge is getting $360 million for nine years to stay at the New York Yankees in a deal announced Tuesday.
Correa hit . 291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in his only season with Minnesota. He was selected by Houston with the #1 overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft and played a key role in the Astros’ rise from the bottom of the AL West to the franchise’s first World Series title in 2017.
The Astros’ championship was tainted by a sign-stealing scheme, and Correa has been heavily booed in some cities since the scandal broke.
Three-time All-Star Brandon Crawford has been the Giants’ shortstop since 2011. Crawford, who turns 36 next month, dropped to a . 231 average with nine home runs and 52 RBIs last season while dealing with injuries, below 298 average with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs in 2021.
Crawford has a salary of $16 million in 2023, so he could become a free agent. He’s dealt with injuries the last few seasons and could consider retirement at the end of his contract, so the Giants were looking for a shortstop of the future.
The Giants went 81-81 last season, a year after winning a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West.
AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
