This past offseason, star shortstop Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins formed a surprise pairing when he inked a a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the team. That contract, however, included opt-outs after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and Correa figures to exercise that first opt-out leading into the upcoming winter.
Speaking of all that, here's what Correa told reporters on Thursday regarding what it would take for him to re-up with the Twins for 2023 and perhaps beyond:
For those disinclined or unable to partake of that color-television footage, here's the transcript:
"When I go to the mall and I go to the Dior store and I want something, I get it. I ask how much it costs and I buy it. So if you really want something, you just go get it. I'm the product here, so if they want my product, they just gotta come get it."
Correa seems to be strongly implying that, yes, he's going to avail himself of that opt-out and join the 2022-23 class of free agents, which is not surprising. Doing so would not preclude him from forging a new contract with the Twins, but by the sounds of things Minnesota shouldn't be banking on much a "hometown discount."
Correa, who just recently turned 28, figures to have a healthy market this offseason even with other premium shortstops like Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all slated for free agency. This year, Correa has slashed .287/.363/.463 (137 OPS+) with 21 home runs in 130 games while, according to most advanced metrics, playing customarily strong defense at short. The two-time All-Star also has a similarly strong track record backing up those numbers, and he's still young as free agents go. Likely, he's angling for a contract worth at least $300 million, which is a reasonable goal for a player of his projected future value. Stated another way, he's roughly the same age Corey Seager was last offseason when he signed a $325 million pact with the Texas Rangers.
Almost any team is improved by adding a player like Correa to the fold, but, like the man says, it's going to cost you. That's the case even for the incumbent Twins, it would seem.
