The San Francisco Giants postponed a news conference Tuesday to introduce Carlos Correa after a medical issue emerged during the All-Star physical shortstop, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
People spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the Giants have not publicly released details of Correa’s 13-year, $350 million contract, not even that Tuesday’s availability was the present a valuable free agent.
One person confirmed that Tuesday’s Correa welcome conference was suspended as the sides awaited the test results. A second person said that during Correa’s physical examination, a medical issue was identified.
Correa and the Giants agreed on the massive deal Dec. 13, subject to a successful physical, according to one of the people. Correa has been placed on the injured list seven times during his eight-year career.
Media availability was scheduled for 11:00am PST at Oracle Park but was canceled approximately three hours before the scheduled time. The Giants didn’t provide an explanation as to why.
It was not clear if the sides had discussed renegotiating Correa’s agreement.
Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, has a .279 career average with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in eight big league seasons. He was also a standout postseason performer with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 79 games.
The only blow to Correa’s resume is durability. Due to various injuries, he has only once played at least 150 games in a season.
Correa was a free agent a year ago after leaving the Houston Astros and he signed a $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. That deal gave the two-time All-Star the right to step out after a year and $35.1 million to get back on the market.
Correa, 28, resigned from his contract and returned to the free-agent market.
Correa’s guarantee from the Giants would be the fourth-largest in baseball history. Mike Trout has a 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts has a 12-year, $365 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Aaron Judge has $360 million. Dollars for nine years to stay with the New York Yankees in an agreement announced Tuesday.
Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in his only season with Minnesota. Selected by Houston with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 amateur draft, he 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 has been marred by a sign-stealing scheme and Correa has been vocally booed in some cities since the scandal broke.
Brandon Crawford, a three-time All-Star, has been the Giants’ shortstop since 2011. Crawford, who turns 36 next month, broke down to a .231 average with nine homers and 52 RBIs last season while dealing with injuries, from a .298 average with 24 homers and 90 RBIs in 2021.
Crawford has a salary of $16 million in 2023 and can then become a free agent. He’s been dealing with injuries in recent seasons and could consider retiring once his contract is complete, 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.
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AP baseball writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
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