Free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa hires Scott Boras to represent him

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Carlos Correa is going to free agency.

Carlos Correa is one of the top players in baseball. (1:21)

The star free-agent is Carlos Correa, he told the sports network over the phone Tuesday night.

On the 47th day of the baseball's work stoppage, the player joined the agent who negotiated deals for Seager, Semien, and Scherzer, Scott Boras.

The top of most free-agent boards had Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa at the top. Seager signed a megadeal with the Texas Rangers for $325 million over 10 years, even though multiple teams expressed interest in him.

In a statement, he said that he had decided to work with the company. The highest level of baseball expertise and proven experience can be found at Boras Corporation.

He wouldn't comment beyond that.

The parent company of William Morris Endeavor purchased nine minor league teams in December. The MLB Players Association sent a letter to the company with possible discipline on the table for violating agent regulations that prohibit the ownership of minor league teams, as The Athletic first reported. The backdrop was the WME murkiness, which led to the recruitment of Correa.

How the market will unfold after the league and the players' association reach a deal is dependent on how quickly a deal is reached. The union could come up with a counter proposal as early as this week.

The market of Carlos Correa, who finished fifth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting last season, will be the biggest story in the game when the work stop is over. The free agents that are still free are Freddie, Story, Bryant, Castellanos, and the Boras-represented Kris, and they are all considered to be franchise-level players who should command the most.

The Astros lost the World Series to the Atlanta Braves. The Houston Astros went to at least the American League Championship Series in five of the past six years, and the linchpin of the team that was exposed for its use of a sign-stealing scheme was Carlos Correa.

During the playoffs in which he starred, he was booed by fans but was still below average with his bat. His glove was exceptional as usual, and among the ability of his bat, a Gold Glove at the most important position in the field and his young age, Correa has all the characteristics that typically lead to massive free-agent contracts.