Carlos Correa Agrees to $105.3 Million Contract With Twins

Carlos Correa, the star shortstop who helped lead the Houston Astros to a now tainted 2017 World Series title, has discovered an sudden dwelling: the Minnesota Twins.

As an alternative of touchdown the huge long-term deal that was as soon as predicted for him, Correa agreed to hitch the quickly rebuilding Twins on a three-year $105.3 million contract. The main points of the contract had been confirmed by a private acquainted with the negotiations who was not approved to debate it publicly as a result of it was pending a bodily examination.

Whereas the deal is much smaller in size and whole worth than some handed out earlier than the lockout, the advantages to Correa are clear: It has opt-outs after every of the primary two years, permitting Correa to re-enter the market as quickly as subsequent season, and it has a median annual worth of $35.1 million, which supplants the deal Anthony Rendon of the Los Angeles Angels signed two years in the past, which was beforehand the best mark for an infielder.

Solely pitchers Max Scherzer ($43.3 million) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million), and outfielder Mike Trout ($35.5 million), have larger common annual values of their contracts than Correa, in line with Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Whereas Correa’s new staff had not formally introduced his arrival as of Saturday morning, Correa modified the photograph on his Twitter profile to certainly one of Goal Subject, the Twins’ dwelling stadium in Minneapolis.

Correa, 27, joins a staff that has been overhauled this low season. After an 89-loss 2021 season, the Twins entrance workplace remade the team’s infield by buying and selling away Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees for catcher Gary Sánchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. In addition they traded for beginning pitcher Sonny Grey.

And now the Twins went far bigger, including the top-ranked free agent of this low season and among the best general gamers in baseball. A cornerstone of an Astros infield that led the staff to a few American League pennants in 5 years, Correa had maybe his greatest season in 2021.

He hit .279 with 26 dwelling runs and an .850 on-base plus slugging share, whereas additionally main the main leagues in defensive wins above substitute, in line with Baseball Reference. He gained the A.L. Platinum Glove, an annual award given to one of the best defender in every league, no matter place.

Whereas accidents slowed Correa at instances all through his seven years in Houston, he hit .277 with an .837 O.P.S. and smashed not less than 20 dwelling runs in 5 seasons. He was a vocal staff chief, dwelling as much as his hype because the first overall pick within the 2012 draft.

Correa’s brief and versatile contract in Minnesota stands in sharp distinction to the one Corey Seager received when he agreed to go away the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Seager, a extra polished hitter than Correa who’s a far much less completed defensive participant, landed a 10-year $325 million take care of the Texas Rangers.

The information of Correa’s departure reverberated by the Astros’ spring coaching facility in West Palm Seaside, Fla., on Saturday morning. First baseman Yuli Gurriel, who was Correa’s teammate for six years, mentioned Correa was “very lively” sending messages to Astros gamers on Friday evening and that Correa was having bother sleeping given the large determination on his plate.

Gurriel mentioned Astros gamers had been stunned they usually had hoped that Correa would return. He mentioned he by no means imagined Correa would find yourself in Minnesota however he understood the enterprise facet of the game.

“We’re going to overlook him,” Gurriel mentioned. “He helped me rather a lot right here, not solely on protection however with plenty of points that I wanted to get higher at, like sabermetrics.”

Astros Supervisor Dusty Baker mentioned he heard the information from his spouse on Saturday morning. He didn’t need to speak about it a lot till Correa’s deal was formally introduced, however he mentioned, “It’s not very nice information if it’s true.”

Martín Maldonado, the Astros catcher and a fellow Puerto Rican like Correa, mentioned he talked to and visited Correa usually all through the free company course of.

“He knew after the lockout it was going to be exhausting to get these years that he needed,” Maldonado mentioned, referring to the 99-day work stoppage that froze all transactions from Dec. 2 to March 10 and compelled many remaining free brokers to signal throughout a delayed and abbreviated spring coaching.

Maldonado mentioned the opt-outs within the deal had been one thing Correa “actually needed.” He continued, “He’s betting on himself once more. I do know he’s going to go on the market and have a monster 12 months and hopefully exit to free company and obtain that aim of a 10-year deal.”