Ranking the top 4 shortstop free agents for the SF Giants

Ranking the top 4 shortstop free agents for the SF Giants

3. Carlos Correa

There really is not a good reason to rank Carlos Correa so low as potential fits for the SF Giants. He is a fit for all 30 teams.

The eight-year veteran signed an interesting contract with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason. It was a one-year, $35.1 million pact but included a $35.1 million player option for both 2023 and 2024. He will likely decline that option to earn a much larger payday in his second foray into free agency.

Correa debuted with the Houston Astros in 2015 and he has proven to be one of the better players since then. In his first season with Minnesota, the right-handed bat has been a force at the plate as he has recorded a .289/.365/.468 line (139 OPS+) with 21 home runs, 61 RBI, and 67 runs while being worth 5.0 bWAR in 556 plate appearances. This includes a 10.4 percent walk rate against a 20.5 percent strikeout rate.

The 28-year-old will likely continue to excel at the plate well into his next contract, so he is a safe bet for any team. In terms of defense, Correa is the best option by far. He received a Gold Glove award last year in a year in which he was worth 20 DRS and 12 OAA. Throughout his career, Correa has been worth 70 DRS and 25 OAA. Given his age (28), it does not seem like his glove will decline anytime soon.

The biggest issue I see with him is durability. He has appeared in over 140 games in just one of the last five full seasons. He is similar to Giancarlo Stanton in that regard because he can provide MVP-caliber value when healthy, but you never know what you can expect in terms of workload.

With that being said, the Giants have proven to have an appetite for injury risk, so his track record may not scare them off.