After his deal with San Francisco fell through, Carlos Correa was back in the game for the Twins on Tuesday. But only for a short time.
Before Correa agreed to a stunning $315 million 12-year deal with the New York Mets early Wednesday morning, Correa was once again available to all suitors, including the Twins.
After the San Francisco Giants postponed Correa’s induction press conference Tuesday morning, Agent Scott Boras contacted the Twins to see if they had continued interest in the shortstop. Before Correa gave them a “kick in the gut” when he signed for the Giants on December 13, the twins had offered him a 10-year, $285 million deal.
When he called again on Tuesday, Boras informed the twins that they needed to improve on their original offer. Sources from the team said the Twins would not increase their offer or hold any further talks until they had a better understanding of the medical concerns that reportedly caused Correa’s deal with the Giants to fall through.
Carlo Correa. (Klammer Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
With New York Mets owner Steve Cohen already showing interest, Boras quickly transferred from the Twins. Later that night, Correa agreed to his contract with the Mets.
Considering how devastated the twins were following Correa’s departure seven days earlier, their decision not to attack Boras in earnest earlier this week marks quite a turning point.
The twins have been in love with Correa since they signed him last March on a three-year deal worth $105.3 million, which the shortstop stepped down from in November. From the start, Correa impressed the Twins on the field and in the clubhouse. Not only did his physical abilities make them a better club by providing them with a dynamic player in a key position, Correa also made the Twins a smarter team.
As the rest of the team fell apart in August and September, Correa did his best to keep the Twins afloat. As of August 1, Correa produced 0,900 OPS over 256 plate appearances. It was a strong end to a campaign that saw Correa battling .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs. Overall, Correa was rated 4.9 WAR.
While their best bid fell $65 million short of San Francisco’s original highest bid, it was the highest ever made by the Twins and a team official believes they have shown their desire to keep Correa.
But just a week later, with what is believed to be another shot at Correa, the twins pressed pause.
They wanted to reassess after an Associated Press report on Tuesday said Correa’s induction was postponed when “a medical issue surfaced” during his exam. The Giants issued a statement Wednesday saying they had “disagreements over the results of Carlos’ physical examination.”
As much as the twins hoped to keep Correa, a team source said the club had not had a chance to examine him thoroughly since his initial check-up in March. The only extended investigation Correa received during the season was when he reportedly broke his finger on May 5 after being hit by a pitch in Baltimore.
According to a team source, no inquest was conducted after a Sept. 20 contest in which Correa appeared injured after a hard slide down to second base. Correa was thrown from stealing and lay on the ground for an extended period of time before finally getting up on his own and limping off the field. Correa stayed in the game.
That night he told reporters he was fine after having a brief fright with his surgically repaired right lower leg.
“He just hit my plate,” Correa said, referring to the hardware in his leg. “I had surgery and he hit it. Just felt kind of numb. vibrant. So I just waited for it to calm down. It was a little scary, but as soon as I moved I knew I was good.”
Correa appeared in 12 of the team’s next 13 games and went on to bat, hitting .319/.373/.468.
While the twins medically cleared Correa on a three-year deal in March, the team would have needed a new physical to clear the way for a 10-year deal. Perhaps concerns about Correa’s ankle following the Giants’ failed deal gave the Twins reason to slow their pursuit.
Not that they had long.
During their negotiation period Tuesday, Cohen upped his original 12-year, $288 million offer by $27 million.
And the Twins missed Correa a second time.
(Top Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)