Carlos Correa’s unprecedented free-agent saga seems to be to lastly be drawing to an in depth, and it seems he gained’t even must search for a brand new place to reside. The previous Rookie of the Yr and Platinum Glove winner has reportedly agreed to a brand new six-year, $200MM contract with the Twins, which comes with 4 extra vesting choices that may take the worth of the contract to $270MM over a decade-long time period. The Boras Company consumer doesn’t have any opt-outs within the contract, although he’ll obtain a full no-trade clause. The deal is anticipated to be finalized on Wednesday.
Correa’s deal remains to be pending the completion of a bodily, although Jon Heyman of the New York Put up reported that the “main half” of that examination — together with a have a look at Correa’s ankle and leg — has already been accomplished. If the deal is finalized, Correa will obtain an $8MM signing bonus (paid out between 2023 and 2024) and annual salaries of $36MM in 2023-25, $31.5MM in 2026, $30.5MM in 2027 and $30MM in 2028. The vesting choices are valued at $25MM (2029), $20MM (2030), $15MM (2031) and $10MM (2032). Correa would vest his 2029 choice by reaching 575 plate appearances the earlier season; that quantity drops to 550 in 2029 (so as to vest his 2030 choice), 525 in 2030 (to vest his 2031 choice) and 502 in 2031 (to vest his 2032 choice). The Twins can nonetheless select to select up any of the choices if Correa doesn’t meet the prior yr’s vesting threshold.
The brand new deal between the Twins and Correa marks the most recent and certain remaining twist in maybe the wildest free-agent saga that’s ever performed out. Correa, a two-time All-Star, agreed to phrases with three completely different groups on three contracts of $200MM or extra this winter — the primary two of which had been scuttled by considerations over the aforementioned proper leg/ankle. Initially, Correa got here to phrases with the Giants on a 13-year, $350MM deal that blew the runner-up Twins out of the water. Nevertheless, the Giants postponed Correa’s introductory press convention after elevating some eleventh-hour considerations concerning his bodily. The Mets, who hadn’t beforehand been concerned within the Correa bidding, swooped in and agreed to a brand new 12-year, $315MM cope with Correa simply days later, however New York raised comparable considerations on Dec. 24, following their very own bodily.
At concern has been concern concerning the soundness of Correa’s proper leg and the way properly it’ll maintain up over the lifetime of a long-term deal. Correa sustained a major fracture when sliding into third base as a 19-year-old prospect within the Astros’ system, which required surgical procedure and the set up of a plate that’s nonetheless in place to today. Whereas Correa has by no means been on the injured checklist as a result of leg within the 9 years since that harm, he did at the very least have a short scare with it late within the 2022 season.
Correa was thrown out on a tough slide into second base and remained down on the sector for a number of moments earlier than leaving underneath his personal energy. After the sport, he advised reporters that he’d been hit on the plate in his leg and skilled transient numbness and vibration. Correa didn’t miss any time following that incident, nevertheless, and he went on to bat .346/.393/.481 with a homer and 4 doubles in 56 plate appearances from the day of that scare by season’s finish.
The style through which Correa’s leg and its {hardware} would maintain up gave the Mets sufficient pause that they’re reported to have halved each the size and whole assure of their authentic supply. The Mets nonetheless provided Correa the power to match the unique 12 years and $315MM they placed on the desk, however the again half of the contract was conditional and the staff ostensibly wouldn’t budge from its stance on the matter. Unsurprisingly, Correa took the bigger assure and significantly bigger common annual worth introduced by the Twins on what’s now the biggest deal in franchise historical past.
The offseason leg drama surrounding Correa gained’t do him any favors with regards to shedding the “injury-prone” label that adopted him early in his profession, but it surely’s price mentioning that over the previous three seasons, Correa has appeared in 89.1% of his groups’ attainable video games. Eight of the missed contests in that point got here early within the 2022 season with the Twins, when he spent a bit greater than every week on the Covid-related injured checklist.
However, all eyes will probably be on Correa’s leg for the foreseeable future. The uncertainty surrounding it was sufficient to drop Correa — a participant the Twins adamantly maintained they by no means needed to lose — again in Minnesota’s lap at a lesser charge than the ten-year, $285MM supply they put forth only one month in the past, earlier than he agreed to phrases in San Francisco. It’s a surprising flip of occasions and a significant narrative change for a Twins membership that had been so centered on Correa within the offseason’s early levels that almost all of affect gamers had been already off the board by the point it seemed as if they’d been outbid by San Francisco.
With Correa now seemingly put in not just for the 2023 season however for the following six years, on the very least, the Twins’ short- and long-term outlooks are radically altered. Correa, who batted .291/.366/.467 with 22 residence runs as a Twin this previous season will probably be slotted again into the highest third of a lineup that all of the sudden seems to be considerably deeper than it did simply hours in the past. He’ll comply with leadoff man and reigning AL batting champ Luis Arraez, with Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Jose Miranda and offseason signee Joey Gallo among the many names behind him within the order.
If Correa’s deal is certainly finalized, commerce acquisition Kyle Farmer will shift again from beginning shortstop to the utility function the Twins initially envisioned when buying him. Acquired from Cincinnati in November, Farmer is a former catcher who has seen time everywhere in the infield in recent times. He can again up every of Correa, Polanco and Miranda whereas offering Minnesota with a potent bat in opposition to left-handed pitching. Correa’s return permits Farmer to be utilized in additional advantageous platoon matchups, one yr after the previous Purple slashed .309/.380/.568 in opposition to lefties (however simply .235/.291/.320 in opposition to righties).
The return of Correa on a long-term association additionally calls into query simply the place fellow shortstop and former No. 1 general choose Royce Lewis may match into the equation as soon as he’s again to full well being. Lewis has been stricken by depressing luck on the well being entrance, tearing the ACL in his proper knee two occasions in simply over one calendar yr. He recovered from that first ACL tear and burst onto the scene in 2022 with a .300/.317/.550 batting line in his first dozen MLB video games — solely to undergo that ligament tear whereas taking part in within the outfield. The outfield might properly find yourself Lewis’ long-term residence, however he may be thought of an choice at third base (with Miranda maybe shifting throughout the diamond) or at second base as an inheritor to Polanco, who’s getting into the ultimate assured season of his contract. (The Twins maintain a pair of reasonably priced membership choices on Polanco, nevertheless.)
Correa’s $36MM wage (and half the payout on his $8MM signing bonus) bump the Twins’ payroll to roughly $157MM — a franchise document. The Twins have additionally added Gallo (one yr, $11MM) and catcher Christian Vazquez (three years, $30MM) so far within the offseason — a trio of strikes that ought to improve the staff’s protection at varied key positions. Whereas Correa didn’t match his 2021 Platinum Glove numbers in his first season with the Twins, he’s nonetheless usually considered a plus defender and should stabilize the place with high quality glovework for years to return. If a transfer to a different place is in the end deemed vital, he has the arm energy for a transfer to the new nook, rating 14th amongst all Main League infielders (min. 100 throws) by way of arm energy in 2022, per Statcast.
The addition of Gallo has solely made it appear likelier that Minnesota will ultimately discover a commerce accomplice for Max Kepler, because the Twins are actually flush with left-handed-hitting nook outfielders (Kepler, Gallo, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Matt Wallner). Kirilloff might see most of his time at first base, however even nonetheless, the Twins have as many as 4 viable nook outfielders for 2 spots — and that’s not even factoring in right-handed-hitting bench choices like Kyle Garlick and Gilberto Celestino.
All of it falls underneath the “good downside to have” cliche, because the Twins now have a bevy of choices within the outfield corners and across the infield, liberating up the likelihood to discover trades designed to reinforce the beginning rotation and/or bullpen which may not in any other case have appeared fairly so palatable.
Put extra merely, whereas the jarring reunion with Correa will little doubt be considered probably the most substantial transfer of the offseason, it’s not prone to be the final. Whereas the Twins may need erred towards gearing up for a transitional yr within the wake of lacking out on Correa, all of the sudden retaining him on the biggest contract in franchise historical past figures to spur the entrance workplace into additional exercise.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the settlement and the phrases (Twitter hyperlink). Jon Heyman of the New York Put up reported the vesting choices and particulars surrounding the Mets’ diminished supply and surrounding Correa’s bodily with the Twins (all Twitter hyperlinks). USA In the present day’s Bob Nightengale tweeted that the contract didn’t comprise opt-outs. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter hyperlinks) and Ronald Blum of the Related Press reported particulars on the vesting choices and wage construction. Heyman reported the vesting thresholds and the no-trade clause (Twitter hyperlink), whereas Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported the Twins’ potential to set off the choices even when Correa doesn’t meet the vesting mark (on Twitter). Nightengale tweeted the contract was prone to be introduced on Wednesday.
