The Boston Red Sox passed on the opportunity to sign Carlos Correa in free agency last offseason, instead inking Trevor Story to play second base alongside incumbent shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
Correa is set to reenter the open market this offseason, though, informing El Nuevo DÃa newspaper Wednesday he intends to opt out of his contract with the Minnesota Twins.
Could the Red Sox reconsider Correa in the coming months?
It's a scenario worth exploring, as Boston's situation -- financially and from a personnel standpoint -- is on the verge of a seismic shift. The Red Sox have a ton of money coming off the books this winter, opening the door for them to be major players in free agency, and that flexibility might be necessary to plug all of Boston's holes and enhance the club's chances of returning to playoff contention in 2023.
The biggest question in Boston -- and the organization's top priority, according to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom -- revolves around Bogaerts, who, like Correa, can opt out of his contract and test free agency. Bogaerts has three years and $60 million remaining on his deal with the Red Sox, a below-market rate for a shortstop of his caliber. It's a near certainty he'll opt out in search of a more lucrative payday, either in Boston or elsewhere.
(For context, Correa signed a three-year, $105.3 million contract with Minnesota last offseason. He's leaving two years and $70.2 million on the table -- after earning a $35.1 million salary in 2022 -- by opting out in the first of two opt-outs.)
As two of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball (and two of the top players potentially available in free agency this offseason), the futures of Bogaerts and Correa inherently are intertwined. Same goes for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Trea Turner and the Atlanta Braves' Dansby Swanson, two other high-profile shortstops on the cusp of free agency.
Any development involving one has the potential to indirectly impact the others, as well as the clubs fishing in those waters. Correa's decision obviously means one more available top-tier option -- and one more possible replacement for the Red Sox to consider should Bogaerts ultimately leave in free agency -- but it also means one more team in the market for a shortstop.
Correa, who spent seven seasons with the Houston Astros before landing in Minnesota, has spoken highly of his time with the Twins, so a reunion can't be ruled out. Just like it's entirely possible Bogaerts winds up back with the only MLB franchise he's ever known. But whether Minnesota is willing to push its monetary boundaries for Correa, especially on the heels of a 78-84 season and a very good-but-unspectacular year from the two-time All-Star, is up for debate. And who knows, maybe the Twins direct some attention toward Bogaerts if and when he becomes a free agent.
As for the Red Sox, they essentially have three options: Sign Bogaerts, acquire a shortstop replacement or move Story back to his natural position and find a new second baseman.
Signing Story to a six-year, $140 million contract last offseason (with an opt-out after 2025) in many ways provided Boston with shortstop insurance in the event Bogaerts leaves this offseason. But there have been questions about Story's arm, and the former Colorado Rockies star provided exceptional defense at the keystone this season despite battling injuries.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora even acknowledged on the latest episode of the "TC & Company Podcast" with NESN's Tom Caron that his ideal alignment would keep Story at second base and Kiké Hernández in center field, with Bogaerts maintaining his status as Boston's franchise shortstop.
It'd be reckless, of course, not to mention Cora's connection to Correa, a fellow Puerto Rican with whom he developed a strong relationship while serving as Houston's bench coach in 2017. But that might only become a factor if the Red Sox need to replace Bogaerts.
All told, we're clearly headed toward a game of shortstop musical chairs -- involving both big names and teams with deep pockets, including the Red Sox. Correa's inclusion, while unsurprising, adds another chair and turns up the volume ahead of the offseason.
