The Minnesota Twins will reportedly make a strong push to re-sign Carlos Correa this offseason, and a critical juncture in negotiations could come next week.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reports The twins will be meeting “face-to-face” with Correa and his agent in the coming days to discuss a new long-term deal, but previous reports have suggested the market is moving quickly to close the star shortstop sign.
LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune continued the Talk North podcast Earlier this month, the twins made several deals ranging from six to 10 years, with the shorter deals having a higher annual average.
It’s unclear if these talks have resulted in a long-term deal for the 28-year-old but it seems Correa won’t have a shortage of suitors.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that his market “is already excellent” ahead of next week’s winter meetings in San Diego and that the twins are looking to re-sign Correa and “build the franchise around his talent.”
Passan believes that even in a shortstop class that includes Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, Correa should be able to pull off a $250 million-plus deal.
One of those teams interested in his services could be the New York Yankees. Passan reported earlier this week that the league is on hold until Aaron Judge signs the free hand. Reports have narrowed down the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees as potential candidates for the judge, but his decision could add another high-profile bidder to the Correa sweepstakes.
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If the judge decides to deny a reported $300 million bid from the Yankees, New York could turn its attention to some of the bigger names in the market, including Correa.
Another team that may be interested in signing Correa is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark reports that the Phillies have scheduled a meeting with Correa and the other three marquee shortstops in this year’s class at next week’s meetings and could try to sign one before concluding on Wednesday night.
As the wheels of Correa’s free agency start to turn, the big question is where he will sign.
An ESPN poll of 12 MLB executives predicted the Yankees were the team most likely to sign Correa this offseason, but the results were widely shared. While New York received four votes, the Twins and San Francisco Giants each had three votes, while the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox each had one.
Another interesting note is that the Twins didn’t get a vote for any of the other top shortstops on the market, making it seem like the Twins will either sign Correa or look for a cheaper alternative until Royce Lewis is ready to return from a tear ACL suffered last May.
That notion may stem from the twins’ historical reluctance to commit to long-term deals. New Twins CEO Joe Pohlad, who took over the day-to-day operations for his uncle Jim on Tuesday, told the Star Tribune’s Jim Souhan that Jim Pohlad is “not a big fan of long-term contracts.”
Minnesota’s push into long-term deals also backfired on their history, when Joe Mauer was forced to move to first base at the end of an eight-year, $184 million contract signed in spring 2010, and Byron Buxton at first Struggling with injuries was the year of a seven-year, $100 million deal signed before last season.
Whatever Correa’s decision, the twins would presumably want one ASAP to complement a roster that has missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
