Carlos Correa says he doesn't 'hold grudges' against SF Giants or Mets
The constant chatter surrounding the SF Giants at the beginning of the season was how they would fare after unsuccessfully securing a superstar during the offseason, most notably Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. The recent stretch of strong baseball for San Francisco has significantly cooled those discussions, making it easier for Giants fans to forget about the tumultuous turn of events this past winter. It appears that Correa has moved on, too.
Twins SS Carlos Correa runs home to score against the Los Angeles Angels. (2022)
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
“To be honest, I haven’t even checked their box score once, them [Mets] or the Giants,’’ Correa told reporters this weekend in Baltimore. “I’m the kind of guy who turns the page on things real quick. I don’t hold grudges and don’t have feelings invested in things that don’t happen, so it’s easy to move on.”
Correa faced uncertain waters when a reported ankle issue detected in his physicals resulted in the dissolution of two separate free agent agreements—a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants, followed by a 12-year, $315 million agreement with the New York Mets. However, he has since reunited with the Minnesota Twins and harbors no resentment towards the clubs that withdrew their offers during the offseason.
“There are things you can’t control, and they don’t always work out the way you want them to. But you can’t [complain] about it. You’ve got to move on and look ahead.”
The all-star shortstop went on to assure reporters that he’s “very happy” with his decision to re-sign with the Twins after spending the 2022 season with them. It’s not a bad situation, either. Although they’ve been hovering around the .500 mark as of late, Minnesota sits atop a weak American League Central and has a rather clear path to clinching a postseason berth.
Correa has struggled this season and is currently on pace to achieve career lows in key offensive categories. In 73 games, the 28-year-old is slashing .217/.292/.406 with 11 homers and 37 RBI. Despite battling through a muscle strain in his left foot and plantar fasciitis in his heel, he’s yet to have any issues with his ankle and still looks to be a capable presence from a defense perspective at shortstop.
If healthy, it’s not difficult to envision an uptick in his numbers for the second half.
“It definitely could be a lot better and that’s what I feel like the second half is gonna be all about,’’ Correa told reporters. “I’m gonna recover and try to help the team win a lot more games. The first half is nothing like what I expected and short of my expectations.”
While they’d obviously love to have Correa in the mix long-term, the Giants have held down the fort with encouraging production from their infielders.
At 37, Brandon Crawford, who was on track to slide over to third base if Correa’s deal was finalized, has earned more playing time over the last month and has supplied some key hits in come-from-behind victories. As the primary fixture at the hot corner, J.D. Davis sits atop the leaderboard in offensive categories among National League third baseman and could easily find himself –– along with his .821 OPS –– representing the SF Giants in Seattle for the All-Star Game on July 11 if spots open up.
