How does a team not know the medical history of their franchise superstar? The San Francisco Giants have completely muffed a franchise-altering 13-year, $350M deal with Carlos Correa, one of the best shortstops in the league, forcing him to sign a 12-year, $315M deal with the Mets instead.
And here I thought that the most dysfunctional California team this offseason was the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The San Francisco Giants have made utter fools of themselves as they not only misdiagnosed or undiagnosed (depending on who’s side you believe) a potential franchise shortstop’s ankle injury, after already writing up a 13-year contract, but they also let him fall right into one of their rivals’ hands in the NL. This is one of the worst free agent blunders of all-time.
How did the Giants not realize or remember that Carlos Correa has been dealing with back and ankle injuries throughout his eight-year MLB career? He’s been one of the best short stops in baseball for a number of years now and was literally a free agent last offseason prior to his deal with the Minnesota Twins.
His back and ankle injuries should have (and have) been well documented for the Giants to scour over before agreeing and then backing out of the deal. And if you don’t think the Twins would have informed the whole league that Correa had a career-threatening (which must be the severity of the injury in the Giants eyes to pass up on such a great player), you’d be surprised how interconnected the 30 front offices are with one another.
They may be rivals on the field, but when each other’s bottom lines are in jeopardy, they’re as thick as thieves. And that’s not me saying it in a derogatory way, but rather just a fact of the business. All sports leagues operate the same way as all of the owners/front offices want each other to make as much money as possible as that means their league is thriving.
Anyway, I’d be perfectly okay with the Giants passing up on Correa at the 12th hour if it wasn’t for the fact that the New York Mets, one of the Giants rivals to get out of the NL, immediately snatch up Correa on a 12-year, $315M deal. Or, in other words, almost the exact same deal as the Giants offered Correa, showing that the concerns must not be as bad as the Giants have made them out to be.
Sure, the Mets and owner Steve Cohen aren’t what you’d call frugal with the money they dish out, as they currently have over a half billion-dollar payroll for this season, but even Cohen wouldn’t waste $300 million on a player who wouldn’t be able to play for his beloved Mets.
And, if the reports are true that the Giants were nervous about a fibula injury Correa had when he was in the minors (which is almost 10 years ago), then it just makes GM Pete Putila and his staff look even dumber than they already look.
The guy has been a Golden Glove-level shortstop in the time between that fibula break and now. How can you be concerned about that injury when he’s already shown it has no effect on him?
What a way to ruin all Giants fans Christmas holidays.
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