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Carlos Correa SS | HOU
Giants' Carlos Correa: Physical reveals unspecified issues
Correa's arrival press conference was put on hold Tuesday after a medical concern emerged during his physical, Ronald Blum of The Associated Press reports.
Correa and the Giants agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal last Tuesday, but the contract, like all contracts, was pending a physical. Correa's physical has indeed turned something up, though whether or not the issue is serious enough to cancel the deal or force the shortstop to accept reduced terms is not yet clear. Correa hasn't been a picture of health throughout his big-league career, landing on the injured list seven times in eight seasons, though he's appeared in 89 percent of his team's games over the last three seasons.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Reaches deal with Cubs
Swanson agreed to a deal with the Cubs on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Swanson will receive $177 million over seven years and will also get a full no-trade clause. He moves to the midwest after spending his first seven seasons in Atlanta. His last season was his best, as he's coming off a year in which he hit .277/.329/.447 while playing in all 162 games. His 18 steals were also a career high, while his 25 home runs were just two shy of the 27 he managed the year prior. He'll settle in as the everyday shortstop for the Cubs, pushing Nico Hoerner to second base.
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Oneil Cruz CF | PIT
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Suffers minor ankle injury
Cruz suffered what's believed to be a minor ankle injury while playing in the Dominican Winter League on Friday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
While it's good news that the Pirates are referring to the injury as minor, it's too early to say that Cruz is definitely in the clear. The injury is at least serious enough that the Pirates will have him undergo further tests. Once the results of those tests are known, it should become clear whether or not Cruz is at risk of missing time next season.
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Ehire Adrianza 3B | LAA
Braves' Ehire Adrianza: Back in Atlanta as NRI
Adrianza signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Adrianza was a decent super utility guy for the team in 2021 and Atlanta wound up re-acquiring him at the 2022 trade deadline from the Nationals. It seems manager Brian Snitker has an affinity for the 33-year-old, although Atlanta will hope it doesn't have to use him too much in 2023.
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Brandon Crawford SS | STL
Giants' Brandon Crawford: Shifting positions
The Giants informed Crawford that Carlos Correa will be the team's primary shortstop after Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract Tuesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
Correa has been a plus defender his entire career and has a Gold Glove to his name, so it's hardly a surprise he'll stick at shortstop as the new face of the franchise. Still, a position change for Crawford -- who has won four Gold Gloves in his own right -- is notable given he's exclusively played shortstop during his 12-year MLB career. Crawford was limited to 118 games last season by knee inflammation and had a .231/.308/.344 slash line, but he should still fill the strong side of a platoon at either second or third base for the Giants in 2023.
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Jeter Downs SS | NYY
Red Sox's Jeter Downs: Booted off 40-man roster
Downs (ankle) was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Thursday.
One of the key pieces acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade, Downs struggled mightily at Triple-A Worcester the past two years with a .661 OPS in 180 games. He's still just 24, so he'll likely receive some interest on waivers.
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Trevor Story SS | BOS
Red Sox's Trevor Story: Favorite to start at shortstop
Story is the top internal option to start at shortstop for the Red Sox following the departure of Xander Bogaerts, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Story returning to his natural position isn't a slam dunk, though, given concerns about his throwing arm. It's still possible the team opts to keep him at second base and either acquire a shortstop from outside the organization or put Enrique Hernandez there. As Cotillo points out, Story ranked in the 97th percentile in outs above average at second base but just the eighth percentile in arm strength in 2022.
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Carlos Correa SS | HOU
Giants' Carlos Correa: Joins San Francisco for $350 million
Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The 28-year-old turned down his $35.1 million player option with Minnesota for 2023 and cashed in on a megadeal with San Francisco. Correa had a .291/.366/.467 slash line with 22 home runs, 64 RBI and 70 runs in 136 games last season, which was good for a 140 wRC+. The deal includes no opt-out clause and full no-trade protection, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, so Correa will be in the Bay Area through the 2035 campaign, unless he approves of a potential trade destination.
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Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: New deal announced
Bogaerts' signing of an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres was formally announced by the team Friday.
News of Bogaerts' deal with the Padres came down late Wednesday, sending shockwaves through baseball. It's now officially been announced and the team will introduce him at a press conference later Friday. Bogaerts' power production was down in 2022 with just 15 home runs, but he still sported a healthy .307/.377/.456 batting line. He'll give San Diego another middle-of-the-order presence.