Red Sox World Series champion thinks Boston will ‘regret’ Carlos Correa contract
If the Boston Red Sox don’t figure out a way to keep Xander Bogaerts, some fans would be happy if the team pursued Carlos Correa, instead.
The 2021 Platinum Glove shortstop is reportedly planning to opt out of the lucrative short-term deal he signed with the Minnesota Twins just last season, in what many expected to happen anyway.
Last offseason, rumors suggested the Sox were in on Correa before they ultimately landed Trevor Story, a move that seemed to be foreshadowing Xander Bogaerts’ eventual departure. Then again, the connection with Alex Cora and the possibility of Correa eventually switching positions made it all a realistic outcome for Boston.
Though it never happened, Correa’s now slated to hit the open market once again, and with Bogaerts’ future with the Sox in doubt, we could once again run into reports and rumors linking the two parties.
If you ask former Red Sox World Series champ Will Middlebrooks, though, he doesn’t think it’d be a good investment for Boston.
Is Correa worth 35 a year for 6? I think you regret that after 3.
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) October 13, 2022
Should the Red Sox target Carlos Correa in the offseason?
In this scenario, Middlebrooks is assuming Correa will sign a six-year, $210 million contract. That’s based on the three-year, $105 million deal he signed with the Twins last offseason, which paid him $35 million for the 2022 season.
Assuming that same AAV is the benchmark, it’s obvious Correa will be looking for more years, and nobody’s getting a discount as long as agent Scott Boras is calling the shots. With Story stuck in Boston for the next five years at $23.33 million per season, this would be a whole lot of money to pay for a middle infield, especially when Bogaerts is more than likely not looking for Correa money.
Is Carlos Correa's opt-out decision shocking? No. But it's significant for the Red Sox as they prepare to navigate an important offseason. https://t.co/Fu4PfDBX3y
— NESN (@NESN) October 14, 2022
There’s inherent regret with any long-term contract for players approaching their 30s, but Correa’s only entering his age-28 season. A six-year deal would bring him to his age-34 campaign, which really isn’t the point where you’d worry about an unforgivable regression.
Then again, fans might argue Bogaerts is better/more consistent and wouldn’t be as expensive. Not to knock Correa, but on Sept. 7 he was hitting 269 with a .780 OPS. If not for a blistering final month of the year when the Twins’ games didn’t matter (he finished hitting .291 with an .834 OPS and 140 OPS+), he might not have been so quick to exercise his opt-out clause.
How do Sox fans feel about this scenario as well as Middlebrooks’ comments on the matter?
