(Reuters) – Carlos Correa’s free agency saga appeared to be coming to a close on Tuesday after ESPN reported that the shortstop was finalizing a six-year, $200 million contract with the Minnesota Twins.
The deal is “pending a physical”, however, which is where Correa’s previous deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets ran into last-minute snags over an old leg injury.
The Giants had scheduled a press conference last month to introduce the dynamic Puerto Rican two-time All-Star, who won a championship with Houston in 2017.
But the club backed away from a 13-year, $350 million deal and abruptly canceled the press conference after a physical raised concerns about a right leg injury the 28-year-old suffered when he was in the minors, according to media reports.
The Mets swooped in with a 12-year, $315 million offer and big-spending owner Steve Cohen said Correa would be key to their success.
But those negotiations also fell apart when the club also balked at the results of a physical, media reports said.
Correa required surgery to repair the fracture in 2014 but has not spent time on the injured list during his eight-year MLB career because of it. Giants and Mets medical personnel, however, were concerned about how the leg would age, ESPN reported.
Now Correa, one of the game’s premier shortstops, could return for a second consecutive year with the Twins, who are more familiar than any team with his medical history. He batted .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI last season for Minnesota.
Correa was undergoing his physical with the Twins on Tuesday, ESPN reported.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
