Dec 20, 2022 4 min read

The San Francisco Giants postponed a news conference Tuesday to introduce Carlos Correa after a medical concern arose during the All-Star shortstop’s physical, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

The people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the Giants have not announced publicly any details regarding Correa’s $350 million, 13-year agreement, not even that Tuesday’s availability was to introduce the prized free agent.

One person confirmed that Tuesday’s news conference to welcome Correa was put on hold because the sides were awaiting the results of testing. A second person said that a medical issue was flagged during Correa’s physical.

Correa and the Giants agreed Dec. 13 to the massive deal, subject to a successful physical, according to one of the people. Correa has been placed on the injured list seven times during his eight-year career.

The media availability at Oracle Park was called off about three hours before it was to take place. The Giants did not provide an explanation as to why.

It was not clear if the sides had discussed renegotiating Correa’s agreement.

Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, has a .279 career average with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight big league seasons. He also has been a stellar postseason performer with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games.

Just about the only knock on Correa’s resume is durability. He has played at least 150 games in a season just once because of various injuries.

Correa was a free agent one year ago after leaving the Houston Astros, and he reached a $105.3 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. That agreement gave the two-time All-Star the right to opt out after one year and $35.1 million to hit the market again.

The 28-year-old Correa terminated his deal and went back on the free-agent market.

Cohen persuaded Verlander: Justin Verlander’s phone rang in November. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen was on the line.

“It really wasn’t a baseball call. It was just a ‘Hey, this is Steve. You’re Justin. Let me get to know you a little bit,'” the pitcher recalled Tuesday.

That conversation led to an $86.7 million, two-year contract on Dec. 5, a deal that was finalized two days later.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner was introduced at a news conference Tuesday at Citi Field. Verlander joins former Detroit teammate Max Scherzer atop the rotation, and effectively replaces Jacob deGrom, who left New York and agreed to a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas.

New York, seeking its first World Series title since 1986, has boosted its luxury tax payroll to about $360 million next year, on track for a record tax of about $85 million.

Entering their third season under Cohen, the Mets have committed $476.7 million to seven free agents.

“We just talked about putting the best team we could on the field and kind of let winning drive the decisions,” general manager Billy Eppler said.

Returning from Tommy John surgery in September 2020, Verlander went 18-4 with a major league-low 1.75 ERA this year in 28 starts for the Astros. He also got his first win in nine career World Series starts in Game 5.

Padres sign 2: Matt Carpenter agreed Tuesday to a $12 million, two-year contract with the San Diego Padres after reviving his career with the New York Yankees in a season cut short by injury.

The agreement for the infielder/outfielder could be worth $21 million over two seasons if he has 550 plate appearances in each year.

Carpenter, 37, was a three-time All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals who began last season at Texas’ Triple-A team in Frisco. He signed with the Yankees on May 26 and hit .305 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs in 47 games.

The Padres also reached an agreement with free-agent reliever Seth Lugo.

Lugo went 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA and three saves over 62 outings and 65 innings with the Mets this year. A converted starter, the versatile right-hander spent his first seven seasons with New York.

Lyles to Royals: The Kansas City Royals and well-traveled right-hander Jordan Lyles have agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press

The 32-year-old Lyles has played for seven teams over 12 seasons, going 12-11 with a 4.42 ERA last season in his lone year with Baltimore. His best season came in 2018, when he had a 12-8 record during stints in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.

If nothing else, Lyles has proven to be durable. He made 32 starts for the Rangers in 2021, throwing 180 innings, and 32 more for the Orioles, where he tossed 179 and had a complete game.