MLB Player News

Correa agreed Wednesday with the Mets on a 12-year, $315 million contract after his previous deal with the Giants fell through due to an unspecified issue that arose during his physical, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

A week ago, Correa and the Giants came to terms on a 13-year, $350 million contract that was expected to be formally announced Tuesday, but San Francisco elected to postpone the signing due to the medical concern. Because that deal with the Giants was never finalized, the Mets were able to swoop in and quickly come to terms with Correa, who loses an extra year and $35 million in the new pact yet still becomes the seventh player in MLB history to sign a free-agent contract worth north of $300 million. With two-time Gold Glove Award winner Francisco Lindor entrenched as the Mets' everyday shortstop, Correa has agreed to play third base and should quickly gain eligibility at the position early in the 2023 season. Correa won't benefit from much of an upgrade with the change from San Francisco's Oracle Park to New York's Citi Field since both ballparks have historically skewed more pitcher-friendly, but the 28-year-old should see a boost in his run and RBI projections while batting in the heart of a Mets lineup that would seem to be much stronger than the Giants', at least on paper.

Castillo was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Castillo went back and forth between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis in 2022, slashing .206/.251/.382 through 283 major-league plate appearances. The Pirates' decision to remove Castillo from the 40-man roster comes as a direct consequence of signing Austin Hedges.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.