Twins Haven’t Even Approached Carlos Correa About Extension
Carlos Correa has been an amazing addition to the Minnesota Twins and his leadership reverberates through the clubhouse on a day-in, day-out basis. I’ve written about Correa’s positive influence on the locker room HERE and HERE; talked about it HERE.
On the field, Carlos has been just as good. He stumbled out of the gate, after a very short spring training, and hasn’t yet had big moment opportunities to singe his memory into the brains of Twins fans forever, but the numbers are there.
Consistency on the field
Correa is batting .279, which is SLIGHTLY better than his career average of .277. His .803 OPS is a bit lower than his 7.5 seasons at .834 but he makes up for it with 131 career OPS+ in 2022. That beats his career OPS+ of 128.
And I’m not pulling his defensive metrics out. If you can’t see what Carlos Correa brings to the table at shortstop, then get your eyes checked. His rocket-launcher right arm pays the bills. The instincts, athleticism and accuracy just puts him at another level.
People in my mentions were really clowning me for (correctly) stating that Carlos Correa is a better fielding shortstop than Greg Gagne ????
— Matthew Taylor (@MatthewTaylorMN) May 6, 2022
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Correa + free agency
So enjoy him while you can, Minnesota Twins fans. Because, barring some kind of crazy injury that torpedos his chance at a big money, long-term extension elsewhere — along with any hopes the Twins have at winning playoff games this season — Carlos Correa is expected to leave town after the 2022 season.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Shortly after his signing, most of us have began preparing ourselves, mentally, for his imminent departure. And insiders around baseball have already reported that he’ll opt-out and hit the free agency market this offseason.
No extension talks between Correa, Twins
But just in case you were holding out hope that the Twins would, at the least, pitch Correa and his powerhouse agent, Scott Boras, on an extension offer. One that MIGHT make them doubletake, before turning down; Phil Miller (Star Tribune) is here to pop your bubble.
The Twins have not talked with Carlos Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, about a deal that would keep the star shortstop with the team beyond the 2022 season. Correa is expected to opt out of his three-year contract in November and become a free agent again. That is, unless the Twins and Correa reach an agreement before then. “Well, I don’t control what they do,” said Boras, adding that waiting until season’s end “is the normal course of things, but if they want to talk to us, we’re all ears.” – Phil Miller (Star Tribune)
That’s right. According to what Scott Boras told Miller, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine haven’t even approached him to talk about what it would take to get Correa under contract for the long-haul, before he hits the market this coming offseason.
At least pretend to care
Remember, we’re talking about a Platinum Glove shortstop in his prime, who finished top-5 in MVP voting last season. A guy who would make the Twins, next to a healthy Byron Buxton, a perennial playoff contender. A superstar leader who will sell unlimited numbers of jerseys and single-handedly put 10’s of thousands of fans in the stands each year.
Yet, the Minnesota Twins can’t even pretend like they’re trying to keep him on roster beyond the 2022 season. Sure, Boras might be set on getting Correa to New York and inking him the biggest deal in MLB history.
And if that’s what Carlos wants, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it from happening. But to not even make an overture yet, at this point in the season, is mind numbing. If nothing else, the Twins organization should have a juicy extension offer on the table at all times.
What happened to being proactive?
Hang it in his fucking locker. Maybe he walks into the clubhouse on Saturday, after some time on Lake Minnetonka during the All-Star break, and he loves Minnesota just a little bit more. That place does things to people. PJ Fleck couldn’t recruit without it.
Falvine should be doing everything within their power to show Carlos Correa that, even if they can’t QUITE match the dollars sure to be thrown at him by most clubs, they will get within shouting distance. And that, beyond money, the experience here will be much more positive than he will get anywhere else.
But instead, it appears the Minnesota Twins have already given up on the dream of rostering such a dynamic weapon for the long term.
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan
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