MINNEAPOLIS — Saying "all that matters is what I do from this point forward," Carlos Correa rejoined the Twins, passing the team's physical exams after two other teams balked at giving the 28-year-old shortstop long-term deals.
Correa and his agent, Scott Boras, were the key figures in a news conference at Target Field on Tuesday after they signed a guaranteed six-year, $200 million deal — that could eventually extend to 10 seasons.
Opting out of his three-year contract with the Twins after one season set Correa on a path to free agency, but a 13-year agreement with the Giants, then a 12-year deal with the Mets fell through. The Twins and Boras showed the third time's a charm.
"Last year I felt like I was part of a family — my heart was here," Correa said. "It was not what we expected going into the offseason, but we stayed true to the process.
"My focus now is to go out there and play baseball. One of my goals is to hopefully, one day, be in the Hall of Fame."
Correa had surgery in 2014 to repair a broken right tibia and ankle, and a metal plate was insert to support the damaged bone.
Boras said there was "a dramatic chasm between how some doctors feel and other doctors feel" but said Twins team physician Chris Camp had a chance to work with Correa last season and was a key figure in erasing any doubts the Twins had.
If Correa stays healthy, his contract will max out at $270 million through 2032. He opted out of his previous Twins contract after earning $35.1 million last season in Minnesota. So Boras pointed out the total value of his deals with the Twins could exceed $300 million — a number the Correa camp wanted to hit when free agency started.
"We tried to come up with a creative solution that would work for us," said Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, who said he stayed in constant contact with Boras through free agency, and the failed deals with other teams. "Scott relayed how much Carlos wanted to be here."
Correa, though he was sidelined by back pain during two seasons while with Houston, never spent time on the injured list due to the 2014 fracture during his seven years in the majors.
"Doctors have a difference of opinion," Correa said. "A lot of doctors tell me I'm fine. [Other] doctors were telling me it wasn't so fine. ... It was shocking to me. Since I had the surgery, I never missed a game [because of the repair].
"It was an emotional roller coaster, but I focus on the things I can control. So I wasn't stressing over it too much."
Boras said the Twins were on Correa's short wish list going into the offseason, and referred to his client as "assistant general manager of the team."
"The Twins are a juggernaut of young talent," Boras said. "It's a place where he can achieve all his goals."
Correa said he talked frequently with Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton, and that almost every player on the roster contacted him when news broke that he was returning.
The new contract will pay Correa $36 million in each of the next three seasons (2023-25), then $31.5 million in 2026, plus $30.5 million and $30 million in the final two seasons, according to a breakdown obtained by USA Today. That's $200 million guaranteed for six seasons, an average of $33.3 million each that lands him comfortably among the 10 highest MLB salaries, and more than $10 million higher than Joe Mauer's franchise-record $23 million annual salary.
Those six seasons are the only guaranteed ones, and considering Correa will turn 34 just a week before the 2028 season ends, the Twins have reason to believe they are getting his prime seasons. But the contract also extends for another four years, through 2032, if he reaches certain playing-time benchmarks, or if the Twins simply exercise a team option each fall.
Those salaries amount to another $70 million — $25 million in 2029, followed by $20 million, $15 million and $10 million over the final three — and are triggered if Correa reaches plate-appearance goals in the previous season. The benchmarks are 575 plate appearances to trigger the 2029 guarantee, then 550, 525 and 502 in the following seasons.
If Correa bats fewer times than stipulated, the following season's contract becomes a team option, so the Twins can sever ties if Correa misses significant time.
The contract contains a no-trade clause, but no provisions for Correa to opt out, as he did in October after completing just one of the three seasons called for in his original Twins deal, signed on the eve of spring training.
The front-loaded structure of the contract, even though it's less than the $285 million, 10-year offer the Twins made in November, reportedly was crucial.
The Mets reduced their guarantee by half, to only six guaranteed seasons worth $157.5 million, with the remaining six years dependent upon an annual exam by a team doctor to certify that the shortstop is healthy, USA Today reported. The Twins thus outbid the Mets over the first six years, making their contract more appealing, even as the total package is potentially worth $45 million less than the Mets'.
In return, the Twins will shore up one of the most critical positions on the diamond for the next six seasons, and retain the most productive hitter in their lineup. Correa, who has appeared in the postseason in six different seasons and won a World Series with Houston in 2017, played 136 games for Minnesota last season. He belted 22 home runs, second-most ever by a Twins shortstop, posted a team-high .836 OPS and became one of the leaders of the Twins' young clubhouse.
"Sometimes, in life and baseball, fate and destiny come back together, and there's an opportunity that you don't always expect," Falvey said.
You can watch a replay of the press conference here:
