28 days, 3 teams — and countless twists: Inside the Carlos Correa free agency saga
When Carlos Correa agreed to terms with the New York Mets, his agent called it Correamas Day, but for those who have been following the saga leading up to the shortstop agreeing to a six-year deal with a vesting option with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, it has felt more like Correahog Day.
ESPN MLB reporters Jeff Passan, Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel break down how a month-long free agency saga led Correa from San Francisco to New York and then finally back to Minnesota.
Dec. 13, 2022: Correa becomes the $350 million face of the Giants — or so it seems
After the Giants finished second in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes, they pivoted to the 28-year-old Correa, the best player remaining on the free agent market, and overwhelmed him with the fourth-largest deal in baseball history. At $350 million, Correa was set to earn more than Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, the other three star shortstops available via free agency this winter, and become the face of the franchise in an ever-competitive NL West. In doing so, Correa spurned Minnesota — where he played in 2022 — and the New York Mets, who made an 11th-hour run. The Twins publicly acknowledged they couldn’t compete with a big-market team if it came in and swooped up Correa. Minnesota’s offer of 10 years, $285 million simply wasn’t enough.
Dec. 20, 2022: Giants delay Correa’s introduction — and the saga truly begins
A routine physical — part of the process when a free agent signs a new contract — was anything but routine. A news conference scheduled to introduce Correa was abruptly called off in the morning. Later, Giants president Farhan Zaidi admitted to a “difference of opinion” regarding the review of Correa’s medicals. The issue, according to sources, involved the lower part of his right leg, which required surgery in 2014 when Correa was in the minors. Doctors feared his leg would degrade over the length of the contract. The Giants proposed stepping away and reevaluating the deal with the potential for a restructuring. Correa and his agent, Scott Boras, chose another path.
Dec. 21, 2022: Carlos Correa pivots to Mets in a late-night stunner
While the Giants hesitated, Boras called Mets owner Steve Cohen, who already had committed nearly $500 million to free agents this winter, and asked if he wanted back in on Correa. Cohen did, and within 12 hours of Correa’s deal with the Giants falling apart, the shortstop had a brand-new megadeal with the Mets: 12 years, $315 million — still for more years and money than his free agent peers. Cohen, who negotiated the deal while on vacation in Hawai’i, told the New York Post in the wee hours of the morning: “This puts us over the top.” Correa would move to third base and slot in the middle of the lineup for a team with a payroll that would approach half a billion dollars. All that was necessary to codify the deal: a passed physical.
Dec. 24, 2022: Mets have their own concerns about Correa’s physical
Like the Giants, the Mets saw issues with Correa’s right leg, according to sources. But the incentive was strong for Correa and the Mets to work through the concerns and work out a deal. Two failed physicals would put a damper on Correa’s market outside New York. Losing their key offseason acquisition would leave Mets fans wondering whether the 2023 team really is all that much better than the 2022 version that bombed out in the wild-card round.
Discussions focused on guarantee language. The Mets were fine keeping the 12-year, $315 million terms — but wanted only half of it guaranteed. Over the final six years of the deal, according to sources, the Mets proposed their medical staff would conduct a physical on Correa at the end of each season — regardless of his health during the season. The results of the physical would then determine whether the next year of the contract was picked up.
Boras wanted a deal closer to that of ones he’d negotiated in the past — for J.D. Martinez and J.D. Drew with the Red Sox, Magglio Ordonez and Pudge Rodriguez with the Tigers — containing provisions for specific injuries. With Martinez, for example, if he spent 60 days on the injured list with an injury related to the foot about which the Red Sox were concerned, they could convert the final two guaranteed years of his deal to mutual options.
The Mets stuck to their six-year, $157.5 million offer, and last week, with the sides making little progress, Boras ramped up his engagement with the Twins. Minnesota, more comfortable with Correa’s medicals after seeing him up close for a year, cognizant that the guarantee for him had taken a hit on account of the injury, pounced.
Even as momentum toward a deal with the Twins began to grow, the impact of the past month could still be felt.
“The optimism is real,” One team source told ESPN before the deal was agreed upon. “But I’ll believe it when the ink is actually dry.”
Jan. 10, 2023: Correa saga finally ends with six-year deal with Twins
On Tuesday, the Twins and Correa came to terms on a deal that would guarantee $200 million over six years. Included are vesting options that pay $25 million for a seventh year, $20 million for an eighth, $15 million for a ninth and $10 million for a 10th. It also includes a full no-trade clause and annual salaries of $36 million for the first three years, followed by $31.5 million, $30.5 million and $30 million.
The maximum value is $270 million — about $7.5 million more than the Mets would have paid him through 10 years but $15 million less than the Twins were set to guarantee him the first time. The average annual value of Correa’s guaranteed deal is $33.3 million, the second-highest figure for a shortstop behind only Francisco Lindor’s 10-year, $341 million deal with the Mets, and while the total dollars pale to Correa’s Giants deal, ending up at $200 million, following a pair of failed physicals, is far from worst-case.
The Correa saga is laden with what-ifs. What if they had paused and negotiated with the Giants? What if Cohen hadn’t gone on the record? What if Correa or the Mets had caved? What if the Twins didn’t swoop in? For now, as the proceedings seem to march toward the finish line, there is only one question to be answered: Did he pass his physical?
And if he does, the most tortuous, whiplash-inducing free agency in baseball history finally will see its end.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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