With Trea Turner’s future in limbo as a free agent, the Los Angeles Dodgers suddenly have a big hole to fill at shortstop.
There are plenty of hot shortstops on the market, but arguably the best one may not be in the Dodgers’ plans due to his past.
According to the New York Post, some in the Dodgers organization want the team to avoid Carlos Correa because of his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal in 2017.
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Correa and the Astros, of course, beat the Dodgers in seven games in that year’s World Series. It was revealed over two years later, though, that the team ran a sign-stealing scheme that year which resulted in the suspensions and firings of manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. The team was also fined $5 million and forfeited top draft picks.
Correa was still a free agent two weeks before the MLB season began. The lockout did him no favors, but perhaps he rushed himself into a deal, especially after reportedly asking for at least 10 years and/or $300 million. He eventually signed for three years at $105.3 million with the Minnesota Twins. He opted out of the final two years of his deal.
His $35.1 million average annual value (AAV) was the fourth-largest of all-time, and the largest ever for an infielder. That number was his salary last season, which was the seventh-largest figure in baseball last year.
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Correa has not ruled out a return to Minnesota, but it’s clear he prefers a long-term contract at age 28.
“When I go to the mall and I go to the Dior store, when I want something, I get it. I ask how much it costs, and I buy it. If you really want something, you just go get it,” he said in September.
“I’m the product here. If they want my product, they’ve just got to come get it.”
Correa, again, was unable to stay healthy for the entire season, playing in just 136 games. But in his final 49 games, he slashed .340/.414/.543 with nine homers and 27 RBI.
In his career, he’s a .279 hitter with an .836 OPS. His .291 average this past season was his best since he hit .315 in 2017.
If the Dodgers lose out on Turner, who is rumored to want to play out east, and are not interested in Correa, they could pivot to Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson.
Mookie Betts also is reportedly down to play second base, which would move Gavin Lux to short, if they brought in Aaron Judge to play right.
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