Carlos Correa vs Trea Turner: Which shortstop's contract benefits their team in the long term?

The 2022 free-agent market has been more than kind to shortstops. Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts have signed contracts totaling nearly one billion dollars and 35 years.

Turner was the first high-profile shortstop to sign, landing an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Later, Xander Bogaerts secured his long-term deal with the San Diego Padres worth $280 million over 11 years as well.

However, the biggest deal came for former World Series champion Carlos Correa, who secured a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. After missing out on the Aaron Judge sweepstakes, the Giants made sure to secure their new superstar.

"Breaking: Shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a 13-year, $350 million contract, a source tells @JeffPassan" ESPN tweeted.

When their lucrative deals expire, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa will be entering their age 41 seasons as free agents. It remains to be seen if they will still be effective players or even still be in the MLB by the time their contracts expire. However, that's the risk that teams have been taking with these types of massive contracts.

When comparing each player, it's nearly impossible to predict how an athlete will progress for more than 10 years in the future. Yet, injury history, style of play and versatility may give an insight on who may be most effective as time rolls on.

Trea Turner's injury history may give him the edge over Correa in terms of longevity

Throughout their careers, Turner and Correa have spent time on the IL. However, Correa has made six trips to the injured list compared to only twice by Turner. Even though injuries are a part of professional sports, the type of injuries that both have sustained may indicate which player will age better.

Both times Trea Turner has hit the IL it was due to bone fractures, which are more than likely the result of an unlucky play. But Carlos Correa has had various injuries ranging from minor to serious.

The biggest red flag when it comes to Correa's health for the San Francisco Giants is the number of back injuries that have plagued him.

"Carlos Correa is so made of glass, that after his back problems, he has a grand total of ZERO stolen bases the last 3 years because he can’t afford to risk tweaking that injury again… and some team just paid him for 13 years." - A Fellow Chucker, Eh?

While both players will remain effective for years to come, Trea Turner's elite contact hitting may age more gracefully than Correa's more power-reliant skills. Again, this is all speculation, but Turner's ability to play more defensive positions, as well as his cleaner injury track record, may make him the more effective player over the course of his contract with the Phillies.