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Shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a 13-year, $350 million contract, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN.

The deal comes with a full no-trade clause but does not include any opt-outs, the source said. It gives the Giants their franchise player in Correa, who turned down $160 million from Houston last year, got $35.1 million in his year in Minnesota and now gets the most money ever for an infielder.

It’s the fourth-largest contract by total value in MLB history, trailing just Mike Trout‘s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts‘ $365 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Aaron Judge‘s $360 million with the New York Yankees. The 13 years matches the longest contract ever for a free agent, tying Bryce Harper‘s 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The free agent path of Correa, 28, was far less circuitous than last year, when he entered the market in hopes of landing a $300 million-plus deal but wound up signing a shorter-term contract with the Minnesota Twins that included an opt-out after the first season. This winter, Correa found a market that lavished $300 million on Trea Turner and $280 million on Xander Bogaerts far more to his liking and wound up with the second-biggest deal behind Aaron Judge’s nine-year, $360 million contract with the New York Yankees.

In his one season with the Twins, Correa looked like his vintage self, hitting .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 136 games. While he didn’t match his Platinum Glove-winning 2021, Correa is regarded among the game’s best defensive shortstops and posted his fourth season with five-plus Wins Above Replacement.

The Giants paid him like a superstar, as the combination of Correa’s position, age and productivity — regular season and postseason — convinced them to make him among the highest-earning players in baseball. Before Correa, the last player the Giants signed to a $100 million contract was pitcher Johnny Cueto, who got a six-year, $130 million deal in December 2015.

Excellence was predestined for Correa after he went to the Houston Astros with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft. He shot through the Astros organization and debuted at 20 years old in 2015, winning Rookie of the Year. By his second season, Correa was one of the best players in baseball and, in 2017, he helped the Astros win their first World Series title, hitting five home runs and driving in 14 runs in 18 postseason games.

The Astros reached the American League Championship Series in 2018 and the World Series in 2019, with Correa a foundational player for their success. But the revelation in November 2019 that Houston had used a sign-stealing scheme during their championship season sullied the title and landed especially hard on Correa, who was outspoken in his defense of the team.

Correa’s excellence continued unabated. He was among the best players in the 2020 postseason and again played well in 2021, pushing his career postseason line to .272/.344/.505 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 79 games. With shortstop prospect Jeremy Pena primed to reach the big leagues, though, Houston moved on from Correa, whose free agent market never materialized after an early dalliance with Detroit and led to him signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins, for which he was paid $35.1 million in 2022.

In Minnesota, Correa quickly became a clubhouse leader, and over his final 120 games, he hit .307/.381/.496 with 21 home runs. The Twins hoped he would return but recognized his market would be unlikely to break the same way it did following 2021.

Over his eight-year career, Correa has compiled nearly 40 WAR — only Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado have more in the same stretch — and a career line of .279/.357/.479 with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in 888 games. His 12.6 defensive WAR rank fourth, behind Andrelton Simmons, Kevin Kiermaier and Arenado.

Just how long Correa stays at shortstop is a question multiple executives posited during his free agency. The Outs Above Average metric placed him in the bottom 20% of shortstops this season while Defensive Runs Saved pegged him as slightly above average. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Correa is among the game’s biggest shortstops, where he has played all 881 of his career games in the field.

Regardless of where Correa’s glove winds up, his bat will determine whether the megadeal is a success. And in the short-term, it will help determine whether Correa again reaches the postseason or, for the first time in his career, misses it in consecutive seasons.

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Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

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Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

Perhaps the only detail more emphatic than the goals in the Colorado Avalanche‘s 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars Saturday night, was the impact provided by their captain, Gabriel Landeskog.

Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 of this Western Conference first-round series after missing nearly three seasons while recovering from a knee injury, scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in a multi-point performance that saw the Avalanche tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. Game 5 is Monday in Dallas.

“It means a lot,” Landeskog told reporters after the win. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. There obviously days when I didn’t know if I was ever going to score again. It obviously feels good. It’s a tight playoff series in a big game here at home. To get to do it here at home in front of our fans obviously means a means a lot. Super exciting. Hopefully more to come.”

A short-handed goal from Logan O’Connor midway through the first period followed by a late power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon staked the Avalanche to a 2-0 lead entering the second period.

That set the stage for Landeskog, who was in the slot when Brock Nelson fed a pass that the 32-year-old winger launched for a one-timer that beat Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger for a 3-0 lead.

Landeskog, who was playing on the second line, was instantly mobbed by his teammates on the nice such as Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nelson, who joined the Avalanche at the NHL trade deadline.

As Landeskog returned to the bench, he was congratulated by the entire team which also included a hug from a smiling MacKinnon, who along with Landeskog, have been with the franchise for more than a decade.

“I was just proud of him again,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game. “I was proud of him regardless of if he scores or not because I know what he’s gone through, and I know how difficult that was. I think that takes it to another level. You know he wants to come back and contribute like he did in the past and he’s off to a great start.”

Landeskog’s goal was the latest milestone in what’s been a lengthy recovery from a chronically injured right knee. He missed what amounted to 1,032 days since his last NHL game.

In that time, the Avalanche have remained in a championship window but have dramatically altered their roster. The Avs have nine players from that championship team who have remained with the franchise and have since reshuffled a roster that led to them re-acquiring defenseman Erik Johnson, one of Landeskog’s closest friends, in their bid for the fourth title in franchise history.

Even with all the changes, there were still questions about when they could see Landeskog return to the lineup. And if Landeskog did return, what he could look like?

His first professional game in three years came April 11 with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate where he logged 15 minutes. Landeskog would then score a goal and get an assist in his second and final game.

And much like his AHL stint, all it took was two games for Landeskog to score and have another two-point performance.

While Landeskog’s goal became the most celebrated moment of the evening, what he did to help create the Avalanche’s fourth goal was an example of why he’s so crucial to their title aspirations.

Landeskog played a pass to Nelson who then found a Girard for a shot from the point that gave the Avs a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the time Landeskog passed the puck, he anchored himself at the net front to gain position on 6-foot-7 Stars defensemen Lian Bichsel to screen goaltender Casey DeSmith, who replaced Oettinger for the third period.

Jockeying with Bichsel, who is six inches taller and 16 pounds heavier, allowed Landeskog to test both his strength and that right knee to gain leverage.

The result? Girard’s shot found space in traffic with Landeskog making it hard for DeSmith to see the puck.

“He’s a big boy,” Landeskog said with a smile. “He’s a big strong guy, a physical player and hard to play against. I was trying to get in front of their goal, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle.”

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Former Cardinals, Reds GM Jocketty dies at 74

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Former Cardinals, Reds GM Jocketty dies at 74

ST. LOUIS — Walt Jocketty, a three-time baseball executive of the year and former general manager for both the Cardinals and Reds, has died. He was 74.

Jocketty died Friday in the Phoenix area, former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told the team after speaking with Jocketty’s wife, Sue.

The Cardinals announced the death Saturday. Jocketty had been battling health issues for the several years.

St. Louis won the National League Central seven times under Jocketty’s leadership. The Cardinals also won National League championships in 2004 and 2006 and their 10th World Series title in 2006.

“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “Walt was our first GM when we purchased the ballclub and he helped to lead our baseball operations through some of the franchises most successful and memorable years.

“He will be sorely missed but long remembered for his distinguished career in baseball.”

Jocketty became the general manager in St. Louis on Oct. 14, 1994. After the team was sold in 1995, the new ownership kept Jocketty in his job. His biggest move was hiring La Russa in 1996. The two men had worked together in Oakland.

La Russa would go on to be the winningest manager in the Cardinals history and a Hall of Famer.

Jocketty revamped the roster, and in 1996, the Cardinals returned to postseason play for the first time in nine seasons.

In his tenure with St. Louis, Jocketty either drafted or acquired such stars as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Mark McGwire, Adam Wainright, Chris Carpenter, David Eckstein, Jason Isringhausen, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen.

With Jocketty at the helm, St. Louis put together seven consecutive winning seasons. In 2004 and 2005, the Cardinals won more than 100 games.

He was named the MLB Executive of the Year in 2000, 2004 and 2010.

Leading up to the 2000 season, Jocketty became the first general manager in baseball history to trade for a 20-game winner (Darryl Kile from Colorado) and a 40-home run hitter (Edmonds from Anaheim) in the same offseason.

After he was fired by the Cardinals in 2007 because of differences with ownership, Jocketty was hired by the Reds as a special adviser on Jan. 11, 2008. He was named general manager after Wayne Krivsky was fired on April 23, 2008. He served in that role until Dick Williams replaced him on Dec. 27, 2016.

Jocketty was replaced by John Mozeliak in St. Louis.

“He was a great man,” Mozeliak said after Saturday’s game. “In terms of baseball, he loved it. His influence on myself and this organization was huge. Trying to sum it up in a sentence or two is difficult but his impact is something that I think will always be remembered. His legacy will age well.”

Despite replacing him when he was fired, Mozeliak said the two remained close.

“That was a different time, of course,” Mozeliak said. “In the end, we ended up being friends again. We both understood this is part of the business. I think he was proud of the success I ended up having.”

The Reds made the playoffs three times when Jocketty served as general manager, in 2010, 2012 and 2013. They have made the playoffs only once since.

Jocketty is survived by his wife and two children, Ashley and Joey.

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Duran steals home, leaves Red Sox in amazement

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Duran steals home, leaves Red Sox in amazement

CLEVELAND — Jarren Duran barely had time to catch his breath after tripling in the third inning. It didn’t matter, he had already made up his mind to run again.

Duran pulled off Boston’s first straight steal of home plate in exactly 16 years, scoring on the next pitch from Doug Nikhazy as the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.

“(Third base coach Kyle Hudson) heard him tell the umpire that he was working from the stretch, so I decided I was going to go on the first pitch,” Duran said. “It was just to keep the offense going and cause a little chaos. I knew I had it.”

As Nikhazy went from the windup, Duran broke for home. He slid headfirst and slapped his right hand on the plate ahead of Bo Naylor‘s tag. Umpire Brock Ballou’s safe call was upheld in a video review.

“Under the new rules, he’s kind of the perfect player,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Duran. “We saw a window there and he took advantage of the situation.”

It marked the first straight steal of home plate by the Red Sox since Jacoby Ellsbury against the Yankees on April 26, 2009. Duran’s two previous thefts of home were part of double steals last season at Tampa Bay on May 21 and at the White Sox on June 7.

“It was really a cool play and a cool sequence of events there,” Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler said. “He’s one of the most exciting players in baseball. After watching him from afar, it’s been fun to see him up close this season.”

Nikhazy, a 25-year-old left-hander, was making his major league debut and had already allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings. With Rafael Devers in the batter’s box, he said he took “a peek” at Duran before delivering the ball.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Duran for making “a head’s up baseball play” because third baseman José Ramírez was off the line, but his starting pitcher blamed himself.

“He had taken a big jump and he took off immediately,” Nikhazy said. “In the moment, I chose to make the pitch as opposed to stepping off. Ultimately, when I saw him, I should have stepped off.”

Duran went 3 for 5 with three runs and two RBI in the nightcap. He was hitless in four at-bats in the first game, which Cleveland won 5-4.

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