HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 15: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a go-ahead solo home run during the seventh inning of game one of the 2021 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park on October 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Carlos Correa and Martin Maldonado took a trip to New York City, and Yankees fans found out about it via social media.
Maldonado and Correa were in New York City not to visit the Yankees, but to attend UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden.
But that doesn’t mean they weren’t going to rile up Yankees fans first. Heck, that’s half of the point of MLB Free Agency — the best players in any sport love to feel wanted. Correa, just after receiving a lacking qualifying offer, surely loved the reaction from New York baseball fans on social media.
Correa, in Yankees colors, posed for a photo on social media in front of Madison Square Garden. That has to be calculated, no? Those who suggest otherwise don’t know how positive press works.
Carlos Correa spotted in New York City
There were many more where that came from, and Yankees fans were downright delusional despite the fact that Maldonado was simply posting a photo that the two were in NYC to see a UFC fight.
And that’s exactly what Maldonado and Correa wanted.
Highest paid shortstops
The highest-paid shortstops in terms of overall contract value are Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis, Jr. Lindor is due $341 million over the next 10 years, while Tatis, Jr. is due $340 million over the next 14 seasons. Those two also have the highest annual value.
It’s unknown if Correa will break either of those marks, but it’s likely what he’s seeking after a season in which he led all shortstops in WAR. Correa remains an elite defender at the position, and one of the best hitting shortstops in the sport. He’s earned a large contract that the Astros aren’t willing to give him.