FORT MYERS, Florida. At 9:20 pm ET, Minnesota Twins president Derek Falvey texted Rocco Baldelli, team manager, to ask what he was doing.
Baldelli said he was getting ready for bed. He is the new father of a 6 month old baby and spring morning training starts early.
“I wouldn’t keep you in bed if it wasn’t for Carlos Correa’s zoom,” Falvey replied.
“All right,” Baldelli replied, “I’ll be there.”
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Of course, there was some drama. But when Carlos Correa ceased being the Houston Astros after they lost Game 6 of the World Series, it was the end of a wildly successful decade that began with the first pick in the draft in 2012 and lasted one Rookie of the Year campaign on October 6. , three Fall Classics and one championship.
What will happen if we ever leave? his wife Daniella Rodriguez asked at the start of the offseason.
The Astros were the only baseball house they ever knew. Correa proposed in the midst of his celebratory post-game interview after winning in 2017.
“What do we do every day in high season?” her husband said. “We watch movies, go to restaurants and now take care of the child. Every city in the US has one. So wherever we go, we’ll be fine.”
But not every city has an approximate field where Correa is a career .413 hitter with 1.205 OPS in 15 games, Correa’s manager feels he can really speak, a team he believes has championship potential despite their recent history and desire for possession. jump on the biggest free agent on the market so soon after such a disastrous year.
Four months later, on the other side of the 99-day lockout, Correa watched Rodriguez get her new baby Kylo ready for bed. “There’s probably a good chance we’ll go to Minnesota,” he said.
“Just?” she asked. – Is it really that fast?
Carlos Correa takes the Grounders to practice with his new Minnesota Twins team. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
In the shortstop market, Correa was expected to sign a blockbuster contract that would solidify his superstar status. In their pre-lockout frenzy, the Texas Rangers invested 17 years and half a billion dollars to benefit Marcus Semien and Corey Seeger combined. And the Detroit Tigers backed their young team with proven winner Javi Baez for six years and $140 million.
The story goes on
Now it’s just Correa and Trevor Storey looking for a team as compressed spring training engulfs the mere weeks leading up to Opening Day. Perhaps Yankees fans would forgive the theft of the sign if he became the most famous shortstop in New York since Derek Jeter. Or maybe he’ll be reunited with the Astros team that almost raised him.
During the lockout, Correa changed agencies. Recently introduced by Scott Boras, he found that teams are wary of long-term commitments on a tight schedule brought on by a long lockout. Had it been a shorter deal, Correa wanted to go where he knew he could excel and add to his 79 postseason games.
On Zoom, the Twins made Correa feel like Minnesota was a place he could call home.
“Especially talking to Rocco, and you know, you’ve heard so many good things about him from all the players that have played for him,” Correa said. “He’s the guy I’ll be working with the closest, so when I feel like I have a manager that I can trust, that I can communicate with, it’s just a game changer for me.”
And Correa made the Twins feel like their great players could get better, could be winners in October. He came prepared with constructive criticism, a passion for accuracy and unparalleled attention to detail.
“He wants to be part of helping everyone around him,” Baldelli said. “Someone in my place, you’re dying to hear this from the guy you bring into your organization.”
When he came out of the two and a half hours of Zoom, Correa told Rodriguez to pack up.
For Minnesota.
Indeed, so fast.
Within a single day, the Twins pulled off the most shocking signing of the off-season when they signed Correa to a three-year, $105.3 million contract that includes opt-outs after each of the first two years. On Wednesday, he donned a Twins camera jersey and officially joined the team that finished last at AL Central in 2021.
Going into last season, the predictions put the Twins at 91–71, all but guaranteeing a third straight postseason appearance after the 2019 tops and a shortened 2020. their DH, Nelson Cruz, and rotation leader, Jose Berrios. They ended up going 73-89.
“It kind of eats you up,” Baldelli said of a challenging season that has been an even tougher year for the country as a whole due to the pandemic, and Minneapolis in particular due to the racial reckoning.
“We certainly didn’t have the success we were hoping for last year, but you really have two options,” Fulvey said. “You can go and look at it, try to dig deeper and find out where you can improve and what are the opportunities for improvement. Or you can go the other way. And we chose from the very beginning: how do we understand this?
Often, when faced with disappointing results, teams – especially in smaller markets – choose the “other way” of the tank or showdown. Long before opening day, they stop trying, even when a new collective agreement prevents them from getting rid of their best players after a pre-season abdication.
But with property financial backing, the Twins doubled down on their talented but frequently injured center fielder, signing Byron Buxton to a $100 million rollover before the lockout, and emerged from a months-long transaction freeze with a host of moves that bolstered them. pitching (adding Sonny Gray from the Oakland A’s) and releasing wages for Correa (sending Josh Donaldson and the $50 million remaining on his contract to the Yankees in a multifaceted deal).
“We would be honest with ourselves about who we have and what we can do,” Baldelli said of whether to go forward again. “And to be honest, I think we can win right now.”
The Twins know what winning the regular season looks like. But for 18 years they have only been losing in October. The team is entering 2022 not only to rid itself of a losing season last summer, but also a lingering curse that has seen them lose 18 consecutive postseason games since 2004. However, in Correa they found a leader by example. who is only 27 years old, he shone on the biggest stage of baseball. Even if he leaves after a year, Gemini is betting that he will leave a lasting impression.
“I want to take on this challenge,” Correa said. “Recently, I was playing for an organization that was last in the big leagues the year before I got there, losing over 100 games. So I know what it takes to create a championship culture at the club… I see it here with the team that we have. And I see that we can become much better in order to reach the goal and ultimately win the championship.”