Jan. 11: The Twins have formally announced Correa’s return. A press conference is set for 11:30am CT.
Jan. 10: Carlos Correa’s unprecedented free-agent saga looks to finally be drawing to a close, and it turns out he won’t even have to look for a new place to live. The former Rookie of the Year and Platinum Glove winner has reportedly agreed to a new six-year, $200MM contract with the Twins, which comes with four additional vesting options that can take the value of the contract to $270MM over a decade-long term. The Boras Corporation client does not have any opt-outs in the contract, though he will receive a full no-trade clause. The deal is expected to be finalized on Wednesday.
Correa will receive an $8MM signing bonus (paid out between 2023 and 2024) and annual salaries of $32MM in 2023-24, $36MM in 2025, $31.5MM in 2026, $30.5MM in 2027 and $30MM in 2028. The vesting options are valued at $25MM (2029), $20MM (2030), $15MM (2031) and $10MM (2032). Correa would vest his 2029 option by reaching 575 plate appearances the previous season; that number drops to 550 in 2029 (in order to vest his 2030 option), 525 in 2030 (to vest his 2031 option) and 502 in 2031 (to vest his 2032 option). The options would also vest if Correa finishes top five in MVP balloting, wins a Silver Slugger or claims an LCS or World Series MVP in the prior season. The Twins can still choose to pick up any of the options if Correa doesn’t meet the prior year’s vesting threshold.
The new deal between the Twins and Correa marks the latest and likely final twist in perhaps the wildest free-agent saga that’s ever played out. Correa, a two-time All-Star, agreed to terms with three different teams on three contracts of $200MM or more this winter — the first two of which were scuttled by concerns over the aforementioned right leg/ankle. Originally, Correa came to terms with the Giants on a 13-year, $350MM deal that blew the runner-up Twins out of the water. However, the Giants postponed Correa’s introductory press conference after raising some eleventh-hour concerns regarding his physical. The Mets, who hadn’t previously been involved in the Correa bidding, swooped in and agreed to a new 12-year, $315MM deal with Correa just days later, but New York raised similar concerns on Dec. 24, following their own physical.
At issue has been concern regarding the stability of Correa’s right leg and how well it will hold up over the life of a long-term deal. Correa sustained a significant fracture when sliding into third base as a 19-year-old prospect in the Astros’ system, which required surgery and the installation of a plate that is still in place to this day. While Correa has never been on the injured list due to the leg in the nine years since that injury, he did at least have a brief scare with it late in the 2022 season.
Correa was thrown out on a hard slide into second base and remained down on the field for several moments before leaving under his own power. After the game, he told reporters that he’d been hit on the plate in his leg and experienced brief numbness and vibration. Correa didn’t miss any time following that incident, however, and he went on to bat .346/.393/.481 with a homer and four doubles in 56 plate appearances from the day of that scare through season’s end.
The manner in which Correa’s leg and its hardware would hold up gave the Mets enough pause that they’re reported to have halved both the length and total guarantee of their original offer. The Mets still offered Correa the ability to match the original 12 years and $315MM they put on the table, but the back half of the contract was conditional and the team ostensibly would not budge from its stance on the matter. Unsurprisingly, Correa took the larger guarantee and considerably larger average annual value presented by the Twins on what is now the largest deal in franchise history.
The offseason leg drama surrounding Correa won’t do him any favors when it comes to shedding the “injury-prone” label that followed him early in his career, but it’s worth pointing out that over the past three seasons, Correa has appeared in 89.1% of his teams’ possible games. Eight of the missed contests in that time came early in the 2022 season with the Twins, when he spent a bit more than a week on the Covid-related injured list.
Nevertheless, all eyes will be on Correa’s leg for the foreseeable future. The uncertainty surrounding it was enough to drop Correa — a player the Twins adamantly maintained they never wanted to lose — back in Minnesota’s lap at a lesser rate than the ten-year, $285MM offer they put forth just one month ago, before he agreed to terms in San Francisco. It’s a stunning turn of events and a major narrative change for a Twins club that had been so focused on Correa in the offseason’s early stages that the majority of impact players were already off the board by the time it looked as though they’d been outbid by San Francisco.
With Correa now likely installed not only for the 2023 season but for the next six years, at the very least, the Twins’ short- and long-term outlooks are radically altered. Correa, who batted .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs as a Twin this past season will be slotted back into the top third of a lineup that suddenly looks substantially deeper than it did just hours ago. He’ll follow leadoff man and reigning AL batting champ Luis Arraez, with Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Jose Miranda and offseason signee Joey Gallo among the names behind him in the order.
With Correa back in Minnesota, trade acquisition Kyle Farmer will shift back from starting shortstop to the utility role the Twins initially envisioned when acquiring him. Acquired from Cincinnati in November, Farmer is a former catcher who has seen time all over the infield in recent years. He can back up each of Correa, Polanco and Miranda while providing Minnesota with a potent bat against left-handed pitching. Correa’s return allows Farmer to be utilized in more advantageous platoon matchups, one year after the former Red slashed .309/.380/.568 against lefties (but just .235/.291/.320 against righties).
The return of Correa on a long-term arrangement also calls into question just where fellow shortstop and former No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis might fit into the equation once he’s back to full health. Lewis has been plagued by miserable luck on the health front, tearing the ACL in his right knee two times in just over one calendar year. He recovered from that first ACL tear and burst onto the scene in 2022 with a .300/.317/.550 batting line in his first dozen MLB games — only to suffer that ligament tear while playing in the outfield. The outfield could well end up Lewis’ long-term home, but he could also be considered an option at third base (with Miranda perhaps moving across the diamond) or at second base as an heir to Polanco, who is entering the final guaranteed season of his contract. (The Twins hold a pair of affordable club options on Polanco, however.)
Correa’s $36MM salary (and half the payout on his $8MM signing bonus) bump the Twins’ payroll to roughly $157MM — a franchise record. The Twins have also added Gallo (one year, $11MM) and catcher Christian Vazquez (three years, $30MM) thus far in the offseason — a trio of moves that should upgrade the team’s defense at various key positions. While Correa didn’t match his 2021 Platinum Glove numbers in his first season with the Twins, he’s still generally regarded as a plus defender and ought to stabilize the position with quality glovework for years to come. If a move to another position is ultimately deemed necessary, he has the arm strength for a move to the hot corner, ranking 14th among all Major League infielders (min. 100 throws) in terms of arm strength in 2022, per Statcast.
The addition of Gallo has only made it seem likelier that Minnesota will eventually find a trade partner for Max Kepler, as the Twins are now flush with left-handed-hitting corner outfielders (Kepler, Gallo, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Matt Wallner). Kirilloff could see most of his time at first base, but even still, the Twins have as many as four viable corner outfielders for two spots — and that’s not even factoring in right-handed-hitting bench options like Kyle Garlick and Gilberto Celestino.
It all falls under the “good problem to have” cliche, as the Twins now have a bevy of options in the outfield corners and around the infield, freeing up the possibility to explore trades designed to augment the starting rotation and/or bullpen that might not otherwise have appeared quite so palatable.
Put more simply, while the jarring reunion with Correa will no doubt be regarded as the most substantial move of the offseason, it’s not likely to be the last. While the Twins might have erred toward gearing up for a transitional year in the wake of missing out on Correa, suddenly retaining him on the largest contract in franchise history figures to spur the front office into further activity.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the agreement and the terms (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the vesting options and details surrounding the Mets’ reduced offer and surrounding Correa’s physical with the Twins (all Twitter links). USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted that the contract did not contain opt-outs. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links) and Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported details on the vesting options and salary structure. Heyman reported the vesting thresholds and the no-trade clause (Twitter links), while Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported the Twins’ ability to trigger the options even if Correa doesn’t meet the vesting mark (on Twitter). Nightengale tweeted the contract was likely to be announced on Wednesday.
All that drama, finally over.
Pending physical.
I give it a week….
That’s pretty optimistic Kayrall.
I call red sox next
Maybe they can do some Frankenstein stuff and come up with 1 healthy SS between Story and Correa.
Kayrall – I bet Correa is nervously looking at his invisible watch right now!
FPG, his Dior watch.
“Déjà vu all over again”
Word on the street both Carlos and Boras suffer from Chronic Douchebag, but apparently they’re overlooking that in the medical results.
This. I remember him running the bases in Houston pointing at his wrist like he was wearing a watch saying that it’s “my time”. Hats are off to him because it is still life-changing money, but my guess is his character and affiliation with that organization contributed to these teams not pushing through the issues and signing him anyway.
None of these teams cared about his character; he’s a cheater. If they cared they wouldn’t have pursued him. It’s all about the $$$$$$.
Just wait till the Twins sign Trevor Bauer.
They’re a team that brushed aside the controversy surrounding Miguel Sanó, and they know they have an opportunity with Cleveland and Chicago doing very little.
Kidding…kind of. Ultimately, I don’t think an MLB takes the risk, but if there is a single team that would at least consider it, I think that team is Minnesota.
It would be funny if Bauer signed with Cleveland…
This is how a deal becomes reasonable. Two front offices didn’t fall for the Boras hype and overpay for possibly damaged goods. Now he and his client have to “settle” for a sane agreement. On the heels of the crazy deals players signed during this offseason, I’m thinking this was good for baseball.
And for being greedy he lost $10M-$85M from the Twins’ original offer.
Boston fans aren’t happy with this off-season…Season ticket sales so far are down, I can see John Henry picking him up on a one year deal and pay him the vet’s minimum since the Dodgers would be on the hook for the rest….The team traded for Pham last year, that shows it’s possible.
Yes! I actually think this is an innovative and fair deal for both sides.
They’d be 3/5 of the way to the 2019-2020 Reds pitching staff.
Allegations against Sano are pretty far from equivalent to those against Bauer. Although Sano benefited from the relative anonymity of playing for the Twins.
Would be interested to see what Gray and Mahle would say about bringing Bauer in, having been in the same clubhouse.
Boras is the real winner here. To be able to sign a guy to three contracts while failing two physicals is pretty impressive. The guy can sell lint and make it gold.
F’n a
Rondon, You do realize he got a higher AAV over 10 years than he the Giants or Mets offered.
If Bauer is an injured player only the Twinkies will sign him.
He didn’t sign Correa to three contracts. As of right now he hasn’t had him signed to any.
Many years ago, the past is the past,
The deal was made official about 20 minutes before you stated he hasn’t signed.
Boras won the Mexican Standoff for his Client which is his duty Bottom Line while Cohen fumbled the Ball after running his Mouth. LOL
One of us has a jaded opinion of Minnesota.
@nowheredan. Okay, true, but tell me who else would recover two deals after the first failed physical? He made the deals, they didn’t go through. Still did his job.
Wow the Mets definitely dodged a bullet with this Taint signing with the Twinkies! Good 4 U Mets!
No they won’t and they’ve stated they aren’t interested; show how much you know? lol
LOL METS
Not really. Smart move on a luxury, not a necessity. Maybe now they sign Ohtani and Soto instead of just Ohtani. Lolololololol
Mets are gonna Met.
Hell yes they will.
Mets are moving the franchise to the West Coast? LOL
Because Correa and Boras went for the Twins offer, Eduardo Escobar is right now kissing the ground Correa walks on, as otherwise, he was going to the Marlins.
“Smart move” by the Mets would have been to avoid even the initial thought of signing Correa. This was not smart, this was just lucky on their part. I think they realized the folly of their ways and found a way out.
@Carter – agree Correa seemed a strange & eccentric choice to play 12 years for the Mets at 3rd… Have Ohtani in Dodger Blue, but Soto….
@all Twins fans – this is a really clever deal – they’re committed to 6 not 10, 12 , or 13 years. They’ve got 4 cheap hopefully healthy options at the end of it, and maybe one only year of albatross. All for an additional AAV costing maybe an average RP. Genius.
Agreed. Think Ohtani is much more likely to prefer the Dodgers, Giants or Mariners over any east coast team. Much easier to fly back to Japan, which I assume is a big deal to Ohtani.
And we know the Dodgers are saving all their money to go ham for Ohtani next season, as are the Mariners. Think those three west coast teams are the most likely three destinations for Ohtani.
Eppler signed Ohtani, gotSenga and Ohtani is next.
Thinking Soto is more likely in NY than Ohtani.
Cohen said the Mets NEED Correa, don’t have any chance without him
At least we now know the Twinkies real talent. Signing injured players and passing their failed physicals. Gotcha!
I have flown back-and-forth to Japan several times from the US. The flights from San Francisco and Seattle are so much more tolerable than from New York or Toronto. Flying from SF, I’d say, “Is that it?” From New York: “Man… are we still in the air?”
Yep Pachoo. People on the East Coast don’t realize Shohei has a whole media brigade that follows him and that entire entourage is susceptible to flights and time changes. Japanese fans vacation at Disneyland and then come watch him play. He has his own Japanese television channel.
Eppler does indeed have a strong tie to Shohei from his days in Anaheim, but I’d be shocked if Ohtani didn’t stay on the West Coast. As an Angels fan, my guess is the Dodgers or Giants. He’d be the superstar the Giants need. Most Angel fans know he’s gone next year and frankly, those that understand the economics of baseball, know that one team cannot have Shohei, Trout, and Rendon’s long-term contracts sucking all of the funds at the top.
The Mets will get neither Soto nor Ohtani. They both want to stay out west
They said the same about Scherzer. He will never play for the Mets. Eppler signed Ohtani and Senga is a close friend. I laugh at these comments that say teams are saving their money for him lol. Two words. Steve Cohen.
And, in the 6th year, if you don’t like the production vs vesting cost, you start giving days off and lifting in the 6th inning for a PH.
He starts to grumble, you say ok, waive the no-trade rights and we can send you somewhere that might let you chase the vesting option.
Good deal all around.
I don’t know, nor have I heard a single person say, that Max would never sign with the Mets. It was no secret than when the Gnats traded him that he preferred the East Coast or somewhere closer to where he is from in the Midwest.
Ohtani will not be a Met, and neither will Soto. You talk about how Ohtani and Senga are such close friends, being on separate continents didn’t seem to affect that the last several years, I doubt it will factor in to a decision, much less override the comfort of flying him and his entourage to Japan from the West Coast instead of the East Coast. And NYC is gross and filled with short loudmouths.
His own TV channel? Pray tell, I live in Japan and am not aware of such a thing.
11 hours LAX to Tokyo
15 hours LGA to Tokyo
why do you care so much about the Twins? You seem jealous. Just another arrogant Yankee t urd of a fan.
Wow, the Mets did not sign Correa. Shocking. This contract is very good for the Twins a 6 year deal for 200 million and a vesting option for four more years for 70 million. I’m surprised that a mystery team didn’t step up and gave an offer to Correa like the Cards. Now, there is a chance that the Twins could trade Kepler to reduce a bit the payroll.
The real story has been buried here. Correa had the sale pending of Alcatraz fall through. Then the same happen with his Ellis Island purchase. That left him scrambling to find a new place to live in a new city. He couldn’t find another team to throw money at him, so it’s back to the broom closet at Mall of America.
You have to wonder if Boras and Correa made some big mistakes dealing with his free agency overall the past year and a half.
1. The first possible mistake may have been not aggressively approaching the Texas Rangers about a contract last offseason. Correa was ranked as the most valuable free agent available but the Rangers ended up paying Corey Seager $325 million to play the same position despite the fact he was ranked lower. You have to wonder if the Rangers would have been willing to give Correa the same or at least similar deal last offseason if Boras had called them right away offering to play for that much. If memory serves Correa specifically wanted to beat out Seager and was asking for $330+ million. He very well may have been able to get that $325 million at the start of last offseason and none of this would matter. That could end up being a $125 million mistake for him.
2. The 2nd possible mistake may have just been opting out of his $35.1 million salary for next season with this brand new injury concern. If he had stayed 1 more year he would have had a higher salary and if he proved he was healthy all year it would likely wash away those injury concerns. We may have never even heard about them. Then he could have gotten a much larger contract than this next offseason.
3. The third and final mistake was not just accepting the initial $285 million offer to stay a Twin in the first place. It’s very likely the Twins would have been fine with his physical and that the only reason they offered him so much less this time around is because they knew they could. With the word out around the league and the Giants out of the running along with the Mets lowballing him even more, the Twins knew they didn’t have to offer him anything close to their original offer. It wouldn’t be the first time a player took less money to stay with the team he already played for. He had to keep pushing it to the highest possible dollar and that may have been what cost him.
I do wonder how Twins fans feel about him now. Despite the fact that the Twins gave up draft compensation to make Correa the highest paid infielder in history and then offered him the biggest contract in team history, he treated them like a second fiddle team. Actually, he treated them like a 3rd fiddle team. He made it very obvious he would rather play for the Giants or the Mets than take $285 million to stay a Twin. I get why he did it. It’s all a business. I’m just wondering how much these decisions along with an apparent lack of effort to get the Rangers to choose him over Seager ended up costing Correa in the end. I could very easily see a world where Correa gets the $35.1 million next year by not opting out and then gets a much bigger contract than this next offseason by proving his health. I can also see a world where he just accepts the initial $285 million and the Twins sign him no questions. There’s also a world where he gets that $325 million from Texas instead of Seager. The way they handled this very likely cost Correa over $100 million that he could have had easily with different decisions. As a Twins fan I wouldn’t be too thrilled about him treating the franchise like a 3rd fiddle team after already playing for them either. It is crazy to think that him sliding into that base definitely cost him at least $150 million he would have gotten from Giants in his original deal though.
He might not even want to reach those vesting options. Another 4 years at $70 million is only a $17.5 million salary. That’s less than half of what he made this season.
Hindsight…
Correa and Boras declined the Tigers’ mult-year offer and broke off talks early in last year’s off season.
Please provide the Cliff Notes version, and I say that as someone who can write excessively long posts!
>He might not even want to reach those vesting options
Of course he will. Correa will be entering his age-34 season. No one will give him $70M. Twins will do it because they already got his prime. A new team gets 100% decline years.
Gee,now I feel bad because he lost a lot of money, not!
There’s not a Twins fan alive that would fault him for trying to get a $350m contract from SF, or even $315 from NYM. Those were just monsters, and they didn’t have out clauses for the teams. This is a lot of money, sure, but if he’s still a full time player at age 35 we won’t mind paying him as the dollars taper nicely as he enters his dotage. Or we get out if he starts falling apart. Let’s face it, manipulating playing time for contractual reasons is something we middle market teams have been doing for ages.
It’s a business and fans know that too. He’s got 6-10 years to make things right with the Twins fans that may feel slighted.
So instead of 10/275 from the Tigers, he ended up with 11/305.
@Steve, all three are valid. The problem is that having Scott Boras as your agent torpedoes all three of the points.
1) Seager signed on December 1st, 2021. Boras likes everyone to sweat and therefore never signs that early. Correa could not have beat Seager to the punch in Texas.
2) We all know Boras wrote the 1-year opt-out with the Twins with the sole purpose to have his client re-enter the market the following year.
3) Boras always thinks there’s a better deal out there. And there was…except for the fact that it blew up in his face because his client has a questionable injury. Plus, look at the data – Boras feeds off of coastal teams. That’s where the money is…smaller market teams are stepping stones to larger market deals later on.
This whole media storm was a Boras Corp. circus. It was never about Correa. Correa is the vehicle. Boras is the driver. Boras’ first pivot was a finger to Zaidi and a pat on the back for his buddy Uncle Steve. Uncle Steve will continue to make Boras rich for many years. That relationship was paramount. Why do you think they worked 2 weeks after the Mets deal fell through and not even 2 days for the Giants?
And what about the MLB Players union? They would never have allowed Correa to sign for half the contract he was “promised.” It’s about moving the needle for the next guy. The MLBPA and Boras march together; trust me.
In the Twins press conference, 100 bucks says Boras grabs the microphone and touts the higher AAV on the Twins deal. Not about his client, nor his client’s wishes, nor his client’s baby with an “I love NY” onesie, but about the deal. Tony Clark will be there smiling.
I prefer Seager to Correa due to offense impressing me more than defense. Obviously, this deal for Correa now is better than Seager’s, but Seager also had a down year with the shift and should get 20 to 30 more hits with an identical approach this next season without it.
@terrymesmer, $70M over four years, which will be the outer years of what would then be a 10-year contract, will span the next two CBAs, which will see vastly increasing contract amounts while inflation further erodes the value of a dollar compared to today. Moderately productive players will make $70M over four years.
@crise, it’s actually a nicely constructed contract that pays the player quite well, while providing protection for the team. The sliding and decreasing pay scale will also make it easier to trade Correa as contract AAV is now calculated on remaining value at point of trade, which would allow him to be moved more easily to teams focused on the AAV for luxury tax purposes. The sliding downward contract is something we’ll see more of, as opposed to the Pujols and Stanton contracts that scaled up.
And, yes, I know he has a NTC, but that’s purely for leverage. The Twins will go through a rebuild at some point, and both the Twins and Correa will be open to a trade. If in four or five years the Twins want to move him, he may ask the acquiring team to either vest the last four years, or if he thinks he can make more, he may change the vesting language to mutual options, allowing him to re-enter free agency if he’s healthy and productive.
Good deal for the Twins.
Durk,
Boras is Seager’s agent.
Correa got $200 million more than the $70 million he opted out of.
DTR, Correa is a better offensive player than Seager.
You typed a lot based on a false premise. The concern is not in the next 5 years it’s after that. He evidently, has an arthritic condition just starting in that repaired ankle.
The Nippon Ham Fighters sign him, after he fails the Pirates physical
If this is another Jon Heyman story can we really believe it? Yikes!
“Carlito Carbona headed to Twins after seal with Mets fails through”
In Jon Heyman we trust?
That will be his new nickname for life
So much for the Twinkies being taint free.
Looks who’s talking lol. The franchise you follow has a LONGGG history of cheating.
Roger Clemons
Darryl Strawberry
Alex Rodriguez
Andy Pettite
Need i go on?
Don’t throw rocks if you live in a glass house buddy.
Until the Twins announce it, I wouldn’t say anything is over
“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor???!!!”
Fake news, the Germans were hugging and kissing the residents of Pearl Harbor…
I’m guessing you’re not familiar with the “Animal House” origin of the quote.
I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!
And we’re just the ones to do it!
Monkey, Greatest quote ever.
Love to see the Rangers get him next pending a physical. Hysterical. I’m just sad that he’s staying in the AL.
Fake news, it weren’t the Germans that took care of Pearl Harbor. Not just fake news btw, a history lesson too.
No
boras:
“this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid signing be done on somebody’s part”
twins:
“and we’re just the guys to do it!”
Beat me to it…
forgot it, he’s rolling
Let him go, he’s on a roll.
Reference to the movie “Animal House”. It’s a classic. You should watch it.
Nothing is over until we say it’s over!
“it weren’t the Germans” – brilliant
vtadave;
This is the mentality of the kids on here.
It’s scary.
They both saw the same very funny movie Samuel. It was a hilarious line from the movie.
its a movie line from Animal House
Fink, I’m guessing sacball has a 0.00 grade point average
0.00
“Well then we’ll put them on Double Secret Probation!”
Agreed. My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.
Even more fake news it was Australian fighter piolets who’s surviving family were paid like royalty for doing so by none other than Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin
And the lemur bit her but she cannot go to the hospital because she’s quote “tripping balls!”
Sadly, many people on this site wouldn’t have known what animal house was, and, had it been released today would be rioting in the streets in protest to its contents.
He has no grade point average. All classes incomplete.
“0.00”–Dean Wormer
Samuel is dense
Samuel really must stop trolling, and stick with his beloved Royals. Or has he moved on now?
Until the Twins officially announce the deal, I wouldn’t say anything is over
Before the game (and the agents) leveraged things so that these elite players could get these monstrous long term deals of 10 years and longer, this deal would have looked like a win. 6 years at $33M plus per year…$200M guaranteed is still eye-popping, and if one looks at it realistically Correa is being paid incredibly well for what are the balance of his prime years. Compare this to the Dodgers offer for Bryce a few years back of 5 years at $40M per year. Sensible offer for a team that can overpay for prime years but didn’t want to take on the burden of the late years commitment.
The leg issue plus some leftover angst from the Astros scandal hardly ruined him. What it did was make this a reasonable deal. The extra term on the big deals ends up becoming the vig…the price that teams pay to get someone into the fold, knowing the downside risk of the latter parts of those contracts.
Due to the leg issue, that portion is removed. If Correa is healthy and still playing well in six years he will make plenty of cash at that point, but the deals will then be reflective of an aging player with term limits. The posturing about all of this stuff is just too much…
…but I guess that is what so many come on here for, from what I have seen.
How anti climatic – 3 teams, 3 ring circus…
Pending….A…..Physical. The death knell for a Correa signing.
But 6-years, $200MM is way below what he was supposed to get. I’m shocked the Mets couldn’t match that, unless perhaps due to the vesting option with the additional four years they didn’t want to.
But let’s face it, if he stays healthy a 10/$270 with no opt-outs is a pretty good deal for the Twins. Congratulations Twins Nation, this will be an awesome cornerstone for your team to build around.
Actually, it’s less than the Twins original offer, so the Giants and Mets did them a favor.
The $17.5MM AAV for the last four years could be a bargain if he’s still healthy and productive. If they don’t pick those up, that means something went wrong in the first six years when they’ll be paying him an AAV of $33.3MM. I see there are no opt outs, but I am interested to see the language around those last four years.
Or course, there is that pesky physical to pass still.
@phenomenalajs Spot on dude as a long time Mets fan I am excited by this news! Now after a couple of years Mets payroll will be in line and reasonable. This was an overreach and I am glad it is over.
no opt outs; options are all the team’s, and kick in at reaching 502 AB’s the year prior.
Mets will be 3rd in the East without another solid bat!! Brought the same lineup back and got older in the pitching staff lol….smh
He’s also getting a 8 million dollar signing bonus so that would be 278 million total.
I made this post 4 days ago in another thread.
Tigers make an offer to Correa to play 3rd.
5 Years @ $35M Guaranteed “PLUS”
3 Year vesting options @ $35M for Plate Appearances per year “PLUS”
2 Year vesting options @ $25M for Plate Appearances per year
No Optouts!!!!!
Total Potential Earnings 10 Years $330,000,000 through his age 38 season. ($175,000,000 Guaranteed)
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/tigers-outright-four-pl…
Again, I don’t know why Correa would go to the Mets unless they were willing to beat the Twins offer, not just match.
Match should have been fine if his interest is in winning. This Mets org is not the same as the prior ones. They should contend yearly. The Twins won’t. I don’t blame him from walking away from the Mets offer.
It’s OK though clip ,the Yankees got Donaldson as a consolation prize.
Dr- believe it or not I’d rather have Donny for 1 more season, instead of 6 years of this fool! Truthfully I can’t stand looking at him. He’s like the best Cheater ever. Twinkies: Buyer’s remorse. Mets we’re wise to pass.
Donaldson is awful dude. He’s a washed up has been and his stats last season with YANKEES chuckles are at a career low. Good luck with that in NY, lol.
If I learned anything from reading about boras signings that suffered from a hitch in negotiations, there’s a history there of ‘if you won’t give us what you originally said, we won’t take less from you but we will give the revised offer you floated to someone else.’
Kind of an F-U to the team revising the offer as they watch someone else get the discount they sought as a concession.
My money says no ‘vesting option’ out on the last years of the deal was ever on the table to the Mets, and, boras pivoted directly to the new team to maintain his leverage in future deals that he doesn’t drop the price mid-contract execution
I’m not sure how much about the “concern” will ever get released, but I’m a skeptic and thing there is plenty more drama coming with this guy.
Thankfully it’s in the AL Central instead of the NL East, so it won’t come up on my radar very often.
not over until he passes his physical
Just wait a few days spin the wheel of desperation where will it land ….
Tigers essentially offered him this contract last year. 10 year 275 mill.
If my math is right (and it could be off!), he already banked $35MM in year one, and he has another six years and $200MM guaranteed. At worst, he has a 7/235 compared to the 10/275, and he could end up with an 11/305. He also flipped Detroit for Minnesota, and he probably does prefer Minnesota, so he’s fine considering something does seem off about his medicals that weren’t there a year ago.
Personally, I would MUCH rather live in the Twin Cities than Detroit.
Personally I would MUCH rather live in the twin cities than NYC/NJ as well. Now, going 45-60 minutes north up the Hudson River Valley is a different story, but, meh, whatever.
At least he goes into a lower pressure situation as a player, nobody expects anything earch shattering out of him in MIN but in NYM it would’ve been WS 2023 or bust.
Yeah. Detoilet is about the worst possible place to live and play in aside from Baltimore and maybe Oakland.
But, upside to living in Detroit is a burgeoning brass scrap industry, walk down the sidewalk and sweep up all the spent bullet cartridges and take em to the scrap man, there’s money to be had.
I’ve lived in Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, and Washington DC metro at points in my life and quite frankly Detroit and Buffalo take the cake as possibly the worst places i’ve ever lived in for an extended period of time. I lived close enough to Baltimore 10 years back and went to many games there and it’s really bad too. Although from what i’ve heard Philadelphia is far far worse.
New Orleans is no prize either. Lived there some years myself, and, the ghetto types would drive through all parts of town, even follow people home in an suv. Depending where you were they’d pull over and lean out the window with an ak47 or ar15, or, sometimes follow you, batter you, zip tie and gag you and rob you… or, if you were unlucky, they just shot you before robbing you.
Didn’t have to be 2am. Sometimes happened daylight, sometimes coming home from work. I was smart enough to stay safe, or maybe just lucky. But we had about half a dozen such incidents a year on our block in the ‘nice’ part of town where I lived, uptown by Audubon Park off st Charles.
That slide in 2B cost him up to $150MM and a return to Minnesota.
The real drama: cutting Kirk Cousins when the Vikings get greased by the Giants on Sunday.
This won’t stop until he signs a 1 year deal for the ML minimum with the Pirates.
Minor league deal at the end of spring training. Pirates will be the only team standing after all others have tried and moved on.
All that only to go back where he started. Gonna be fun watching the announcement press conference.
That press conference script is going to have be worded very carefully!
If I’m a Twins fans, I’d be happy even knowing his first choice wasn’t Minnesota. The reality is he wasn’t necessarily against the Twins. He was going for the most money. In the end, that was the Twins.
Yeah, and imagine he could’ve already had another ring with the Astros too. That’s got to be salt in the wound.
That’s not how the butterfly effect works
I don’t feel sorry for him clip. He’s doing OK. I wouldn’t mind the contract that he finally got.
Lol Mets deja vu
Much ado about Nothing LOL Nevermind
Correa did a troll job on the Mets with his Son wearing I heart NY t- shirt like Bauer did. LOL Mets
No it’s not. It’s exactly the same as his ‘deal’ with the Giants and Mets. Pending physical
Let’s Go Mets!!!
The twins need to attend a training course on leverage. When you offer someone a deal earlier in the offseason and they take a bigger one but the giants back out of the deal, you know they’re out. The leaves you and the Mets left. Once he signs with the Mets and they back out you’re the only team in town. No point in increasing your offer that’s when you drop the offer.
They didn’t increase their offer ($285M was the orginal)
But I wouldn’t have offered 6/$200M. More like 6/$170M-8/$200M
uhhh the first offer was 10 years 285 million guaranteed. The offer he signed was 6 years 200 million guaranteed.
I think the twins are taking a big gamble. Twice teams have backed out of deals with him. As a pirates fan, Pittsburgh and Minnesota are smaller markets. I hope things work out with this signing. Always liked Correa.
The Twins gamble Is way less risk. Only six years are guaranteed, six years that id bet both the Giant and Met doctors think will be mostly healthy years for the Twins, Correa when still fairly young. The last four years require meeting playing time goals to vest, so basically only if Correa is healthy and effective.
That is MUCH less risk than the 13 and 12 guaranteed years the Giants/Mets originally offered.
Will Correa be wearing a pledge pin….. on his uniform??? Lmao
Not yet. Twins looking into whether Correa was actually out on that minor league sb. No video replay but surveillance and drone footage being looked at.
He passed but the Twins wouldn’t have that out as they already knew his medical history. If they tried to do that they would probably get killed by the union.
FINALLY!
LMAO what is happening?
Lolmets
Could actually be LOLBoras. This is less than the Twins original offer, even with vesting and he has no opt-outs.
That’s what I was thinking. Mr Boras got schooled this winter on why tight lips save you. I hate that I never hear about anything with the Braves but I can also appreciate their process.
Probably not a coincidence that the Braves have 0 Scott boras clients. Shea is. I wonder if the trade to Oakland had something to do with the fact that he would be hard to extend like the Braves do with Boras as his agent?
Boras will end up earning more than any player this year just with the commissions earned on all of the free agent contracts he signed this off-season. He’s actually getting paid more for Correa right now too (per year) over the next 6 years. He’ll make up that 4-6 year gap next season with his next batch of free agents. Boras will sleep very well tonight.
The Islanders and Lou Lam torture me though
Boras despises the long term contracts signed before arbitration. He wants all his players to go onto the market. Those early contracts are the Braves business model so there’s nothing in common between them.
I just read that Boras has contracts which pay him $100 million annually. He’s worth $450 million. I believe he will eventually be the first billionaire agent.
Poor scumbag Boras…..had swallow his ego and take a lesser deal…. poor little parasite….maybe he will have to layoff his personal ball washer. And feed Cha Cha regular dog food.
Seriously? Correa’s physical is so bad that he’s agreeing to a much shorter and far less lucrative deal, yet this is LOLMets? Do you people actually think before you write this?
This current (yet not complete) deal vindicates the concerns of both the Giants and the Mets.
LolMets would be giving a mega deal to a SS to play 3rd base. This is smart Mets. Correa makes more of an impact as a SS in Minnesota than a 3B in NY.
As usual,you nailed it. WTG,Von!!
Correa makes more of an impact playing for your team than he does playing against your team, regardless of position.
By the time he turns 35 he will be playing 3B, 1B, or DH the rest of his career and he would have still been worth the $26 million AAV both the Mets and Giants offered him at 3B.
I’m not sure how “The Mets didn’t sign a guy who is clearly so broken that two teams backed out entirely, and a third team managed to sign him for $150m less than he once had on the table” is an LolMets moment, but I guess the laziest narrative always prevail with sports fans.
The two offers he had were 13/350 and 12/315. This deal is 10/270.
You do realize he played for them last season correct? they would know better than every other team if he was “broken” chuckles.
Hey, “chuckles,” degenerative health conditions occur over time. If the leg is starting to break down, what the Twins saw a year ago, and what might be true today, are two different things. Unless they specifically evaluated him for the things the Mets and Giants flagged *during the course of the season,* they wouldn’t know better than anybody. And given that the Twins just slashed $85m in guarantees off of their own first offer, it’s quite clear they *did* agree with the other two teams on durability.
Honestly, as frustrating as this must be for Mets fans, Correa signing with the Twins is a W for the league. Mets were getting a little too ridiculous with free agent signings to the point it risked damaging the competitive integrity/parity of the league. The NLEast shall remain a 3 team race, rather than the Mets just steamrolling everyone.
“Honestly, as frustrating as this must be for Mets fans,”
I wouldn’t call it frustrating from a Mets fan perspective. Cohen spent a lot of money on the team already and it was already a fun/great offseason prior to the Correa agreement. Remember, we dealt with the Wilpons for years, so seeing Cohen spend is exciting.
The Correa thing came out of nowhere and he plays the same position as Lindor, who already has a $300 million contract. I’m actually glad this fell apart, because that massive contract for Correa, who is oft-injured and already had something on his physical that made another team balk, was nuts.
Agreed. And it also makes an Alonso and McNeil extension more likely.
Good point, Von. I really hope they sign McNeil and Alonso. Everyone loves home grown players.
I sure hope so.
@ Von As a long time Mets fan I am happy he went to the Twins. This was an overreach by Cohen and now Mets payroll after these short 2 year deals and 48 million for Cano and McCann will be more in line.
I’m sure Mets fans suddenly realize that it’s not that he wanted to be a Met. All along, it’s been he wanted the most money he could get. Boras did a wonderful job for his client last year. He never offered the short term deal to any of the teams that would be likely to sign him long term. Doing so added the Twins to this year’s list of perspective buyers. Without his one year stay, it’s doubtful they would have been in the bidding this year.
Correa signing with the Mets was hardly going to steamroll the Phillies or the Braves. They have yet to prove that throwing money at the problem fixes it.
Mets dodged a bullet.
Mets were trying to pull some shananigans in this whole thing. They knew there were medical issues when the Giants pulled out, waved some money around to get his attention, then tried to lowball him using the physical as ammo. Sleazy.
You literally just invented that story, but sure.
The Mets were not privy to the Giants’ medical staff’s findings. That’s not how anything works.
Not really Cohen admitted as much..
There’s a thin line between Sleazy and Smart. Cohen has jumped back and forth between that line is whole career. Honestly the Mets being smart is more scary than them just buying everyone.
There can be two truths, Von. Perhaps he’s both.
That makes no sense. Do you really think Boras is going to be tricked and manipulated? Do you really think Cohen cares about saving money? Do you work in the Mets front office?
Great critical analysis.
Strangest trip through FA in history.
Correas giving kenny lofton a run for his money. Whos next?
Kenny Loggins, maybe?
Danger zone!
So it’s essentially a 10 year, 270M deal.
That makes me really wonder what the Mets tried to change their deal to. As much as people dislike Correa, the whole ordeal with the Mets seems kinda funny.
To me it seems like they wanted Correa, so they jumped in with a splashy offer knowing that they’d have the same issue on their physical, but wanted to get a window of time they could try to get a better deal. I just don’t think they ever really planned to fully commit to the deal that was announced and we’re really trying to get something that must’ve been even lower than this, is that deal would’ve gotten done.
@brewsingblue82- I agree, it’s very possible the Mets were really looking to drive down the price
Well, now we know.
First 6 and 200 is garunteed which is the important part.
Last 4 / 70 needs to vest, is probably based on games played or health in some way however the CBA allows.
Either way 200 million if he falls apart is fairly significant still.
Realistically (on paper) it’s a FA signing. Ironically it could be construed that he signed a 4 yr ($95 million) extension of the 3 yr contract he signed last year. The vesting money is a bonus for negating the 2 remaining opt-outs.
Whew!
-Mets fan
For real! I love this.
Mets now working on Ohtani trade…
Thank you Lord! It’s finally over. Now. Can we get back to signing other players that we need to feel the rest of the holes in our team, please?
What holes?
“Sign other players” lol
Sign Wacha and Calhoun
I’m so relieved… dodged a bullet imo but we’ll find out in 4-6 years
This was an interesting ride. I never really wanted Correa before all this took place. He was basically last on my list of star shortstops that I wanted when this whole SS hype thing got started a few years ago (I actually wanted Lindor so Woohoo!). That being said, there’s no doubt that he would’ve really strengthened and solidified our team this year and likely for the next few years. I really felt like we were on another level with him at third base. That being said, I always thought the length of the deal was ridiculous And I’m not heartbroken. Also, I really want to see Brett Baty get a shot. Happy for Minnesota at least they get to keep a marquee player.
@Hurricane, it could turn out better for both teams. Twins get to keep a brand name in Correa, and one of the Mets 3B prospects now have a clear path to more playing time.
Wow, what a roller coaster this has been. As a Giants fan, this is about as “happy” of an outcome I could have hoped for. The $200M guarantee deflates the hate towards the Giants decision to back away, and it feels nice for the Twins to spend big and get their guy.
I don’t hate the giants for backing away from that 13 year deal. I think it was smart. SF handled it poorly from the start though.
They vastly overpaid Correa as a result of missing out on Judge and other big name free agents. Then they backed out for an injury that didn’t even cause Carlos to miss time.
I’m happy CC is in Minnesota and I think it’s better for baseball. That doesn’t make the giants look any less silly for outbidding the market by $40 million.
The only part the Giants handled poorly was having the physical so close to the press conference, as well as a lack of communication that only confused and angered fans. They couldn’t have said much in terms of specifics and Boras was doing everything in his power to control the narrative, but otherwise the Giants operated in good faith and made a rational decision after legitimate concerns with the physical.
The Giants offered $35M more than anyone, but that doesn’t mean it was vastly overpaying due to missing out on Judge. That would be a reactionary move, and this front office has shown time and time again that they are not reactionary.
Examples: letting fan favorites like Bumgarner and Belt walk despite roster spots and payroll flexibility to keep them; letting Gausman and Rodon walk; not entering free agent bidding for anyone other than Judge, Correa, and Harper; avoiding contracts of three-plus years in general.
It’s hard to say $350M was vastly overpaying relative to the market considering the free agency adverse Twins were offering $285M at the time and the Mets came up with $315M the day after the Giants stepped away. Maybe the Giants could have waited it out and gotten Correa to settle for around $330M, but they’ve got so much payroll flexibility and I respect them being aggressive to lock up their guy. Especially with so many other roster spots to address, it made sense to swoop in sooner rather than later.
But regardless of how much of an overpay $350M may have been, the Giants structured the deal to minimize the luxury tax hit and build around a player they really liked for years to come — hardly a reaction to missing Judge, or else we’d have heard reporting of them throwing money at the likes of Bogaerts, Turner, Rodon, Nimmo, or Swanson in case they couldn’t land Correa.
Instead, they evidently believed Judge and Correa as the two stars worthy of monster contracts. This was the same approach when they decided Harper was worth a $300M-plus commitment a few years back; the Giants only offer monster contracts to guys they’re completely enamored with.
I’m not sure why you mention that “they backed out for an injury that didn’t even cause Carlos to miss time.” The fact that the Giants pulled their offer completely, the Mets cut their guarantee in half, and the Twins shaved $85M off theirs clearly shows that there’s legitimate cause for concern with Correa’s longevity.
You’re so full of shot.
You’re not a doctor and you don’t know anything about his medical records.
Did the Giants pull their offer completely? I was left with the impression Boras ghosted them, instead of working with them on new language.
MN has a graduated tax rate that tops out at 9 85%. No Minneapolis income tax I know of, and, a sales tax of 6.85. Let’s ignore car registrations and cost of living adjustment for goods and services.
SF has the CA graduated income tax rate of 12.3%, and, a bonus 1% tax rate above 1m for mental health services. Then. Sf has a city income tax rate of another 0.38%
Add to that a top sales tax rate of 10.75 with local option sales tax included, and, a much higher cost of living.
What is my point? The giants were NOT making an outlandish offer to correa. They understood that you pay an extra 3% income tax, 4-5% sales tax, and higher cost of living. Over 10 years, that 50m is only 5m a year. That disappears pretty quickly in the context of all those extra costs and expenses.
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP
Guess being irrelevant on the Twins for 6 seasons was what he really wanted
He said Yelich was his idol so finding an irrelevant team to play for makes sense
Good lord. Even the fall of Rome wasn’t this dramatic
They took about the same amount of time.
HAHA MUTTS!
Cry Mets
lmao most Mets fans love this.
@rct Long time Mets fan I do LOVE THIS!
Finally this saga is over! Good for the Twins too. We need more competition in the AL Central
I don’t believe you.
Lmao, is this finally the team he lands on?
Good for this Twins!!
LOL, another big win for Boras!
If you consider that this was less than the Twins original offer, has no opt-outs and requires vesting, but still have no problem with it, sure, you can say that.
Sarcasm, look it up.
Hard to tell with commenters here.
I think he’s being sarcastic.
Twins find something they do not like and a new Mystery Team has joined the bidding war… It is the Mexican Beer League!
Holy moly
Royce Lewis pushed to the OF or on the trading block?
Maybe over to third base with Gio Urshela out.
Not sure where Miranda goes, then. My guess is he’s utility infield when he gets back, takes 2B from Polanco in 2024 if he performs well.
If Lewis still has his speed after the second surgery he should be the LF. Miranda at 3B for 2022. Lee at 3B at some point after that. Then Miranda to DH. Kirilloff’s best position is 1B.
No Lewis is not ready yet and he doesn’t have the range to play 3rd base long term. The Twins are toying with pushing him to the outfield. Lewis’s biggest asset is his bat.
$150 M less than his original offer from the Giants. His leg must be held together with duct tape.
……..and if ya can’t fix it with duct tape, you ain’t using enough duct tape.
150M less but also 7 years less, Could end up being 270M over 11 years but the shortened contract protects the Twins and lets Correa prove that the leg isn’t an issue by hitting the vesting parameters.
Well, if he’s smart he will use Flex Seal tape for rainy games. I mean, in the commercials they hold boats together with that stuff so it must be real!
“If you can’t duct it, f#$k it!” – common Hawaiian fishing boat saying.
For what it’s worth, Gorilla Tape is the best for wet/dry applications, but the phrase lives on.
Honestly, I use Gorilla Tape too. But you can’t beat the visual of a guy cutting a boat in half and taping it back together, then allegedly using it on open water at like…30 mph. Haha!
Off to the Twinkies
Bruh…
27 teams to go!
Glad he stayed in Minnesota where he’ll never win anything
In that division they could make the playoffs for the next ten years running if things fall right for them… and once you’re in the playoffs anything can happen.
Most people on this site will look at your comment as “The AL Central is the worst (or 2nd worst) division in baseball”. I for one disagree. That division is pretty young and should be VERY COMPETITIVE for the next handful of years. There’s SEVERAL up and coming players who aren’t household names, in addition to the handful that are.
That’s fair. I didn’t really mean to imply that the division was bad per se, just that it’s wide open. There are no dominant teams or huge spenders.
Veterans are starting to play back to form and the rookies are developing faster than I thought. There’s 2 or 3 potential all stars in there.
You get lots of comments like this here because many of the posters here are Yankee, Mets, or Dodger fans. They are largely ignorant of the AL Central.
“Once you’re in the playoffs anything can happen.” Are you new here? The Twins can’t even win ONE playoff game.
That being said, I’m happy Correa is back and on a better contract than I could have hoped for.
You do realize they have 2 world series rings.. right? And that lower spending teams have been winning them alot as well?
There is a reason Boston, NY and LA do not win every year and why SD spending spree over the last 5 years has amounted to nothing so far?
Large market fans, only thinking their teams mean anything. Sad.
Over the last 25 years the World Series Champion has averaged 7th in payroll. Basically that means you don’t need to spend big, you need to spend smart. Ego and greed get in the way of this. Just like in life, being level headed pays off long term.
100% agreed, Gotta love the Mets fans who are salty saying ‘he won’t win’ but they forget the Mets and the Twins both have 2 WS wins… and they had them more recently…
I am a Boston sports fan, honestly.. and I am honestly sick of the ‘large markets is the only market’ diatribe.
Don’t forget the Royals won a world series not all that long ago 2015 and went to another in 2014. When was the last time the Mets won? 1986. That was prior to the Twins winning in 87 and 91. So despite the titanic payroll they have i don’t see a whole lot of final results for them to brag about. Typical arrogant NY fans.
I find these New Yorker comments hysterical. A salary cap in baseball would be amazing!!! These fans would suddenly be knocked down about 50 pegs.
If population were key to franchise placement, NY, LA & Chicago would have 2-4 more teams in each city to compare to small / medium size markets.
If he wanted to win, he would’ve stayed in Houston.
Say it ain’t so.
This is a more realistic number for Correa. Good for him… $200M is a LOT of money
That’s exactly the type of contract he should get. A star when healthy. A leader and one of the best at his position, but the leg issue will always be there. It’s unfortunate for him because it hasn’t caused him to miss any time after the initial injury, but the teams need to protect themselves too.
Honestly this is a win for everyone involved (assuming it goes all the way through)
An absolute circus
lol
Remember when he turned down 5/175 from the Astros? Good times.
Wasn’t that before he signed two contracts with the Twins for a total guarantee of $ 235m over 7 years? If so, Correa made the right decision.
Gruß,
BSHH
Correa didn’t turn down 5/175 because the Astros offer was 5/160.
He made $35 million last year and is guaranteed $200 million over the next 6 so he is coming out way ahead on this deal.
Correa getting passed around like the last blunt at the party.
Correa has pivoted and said it was his plan, all along, to re-sign with the Twins, and that he is a Twins for life because it’s where his heart is.
I told my agent I love it here with the, uh, Twins. Make it happen, I said.
As the Mets fan I’m glad Mr Cohen didn’t cave. The twins are desperate.
“the Mets fan?”
Are you the only one left
I will show you the stooges
Thank you, Twins. I wasn’t looking forward to watching this guy every time the Braves play the Mets for the next 800 years.
Ohtani and Machado to the Mets next off-season. Put it in the books. An angry Steve Cohen is a money spending machine.
I’m VERY ok with this!
And they’ll still get bounced round 1 lmao
Othani gonna be a Dodger
I’m not giving Ohtani 500M.
But Cohen might… though I like the machado idea a lot if they transition. Baty to OF
it would be fun as heck to have ohtani in NYC but i don’t see him leaving the west coast when the dodgers and giants and money to burn
Don’t forget his current team either. A new owner for the Angels should be in place by Opening Day according to Manfred, and they may want to spend big to keep him. They’ll have to convince Ohtani they won’t run the team like Moreno. They may be the most motivated to keep him.
LD99, yes. It’s the second part that’s key. Convincing Ohtani the new ownership means business.
As the Mets fan I’m glad Mr Cohen didn’t cave. The Twins are desperate. I’ll roll the dice with Baty and Escobar.
And here I was hoping Correa would end up in Korea. 😉
Have the Twins done the physical yet?
Deal to be voided out in 10 days. Who’s next?
Sure, pending a physical. But the Twins know the issue, they did his physical last year as well. And they know what the Giants and Mets had issues with. That is obviously reflected in the contract, with a lower year and $$ amounts with vesting options that will require him to stay healthy. I doubt this will get hung up on his physical.
But pending the physical.
“Let’s get physical, physical. I wanna get physical, physical. Lemme hear your body talk…”
R.I.P. Olivia Newton-John
Let’s get A physical ! 🙂
What are the chances a third physical falls through?
50/50……unless Boras or Correa provided the new X-rays to the Twins already and the twins know what to expect when the physical happens. If they didn’t I could the The Hangover Wolfpack reaction looking at the pictures of the night out on “roofies”
Boras will provide reversed x rays of the healthy leg and try to pass it by them.
Lol!
It seems most of the physical has been done already.
Cohen must be going raging bull mode.
More likely Boras is the one who is hopping mad. Two separate teams were concerned with his client’s physical and that has cost that client potentially ~$150 million.
Cohen will just pivot and buy something else. This isn’t like the Bauer situation, where Cohen was publicly spurned. This was Cohen throwing his hat into the ring at a late stage knowing there was a distinct possibility it wouldn’t work out.
@rct:
If I were a player, I probably would think that Boras got his player a massive contract, although he did not pass two physicals. The Correa camp did not give in to the Mets’ heavily decreased offer but negotiated a huge payday for him nonetheless. What more could a player ask for from his agent?
Gruß,
BSHH
@BSHH: I agree. Players should view Boras in a good light here. Boras himself, though, is probably a little ticked off that two of his deals fell through.
Again, if Boras had not offered that shorter deal to the Twins last year, no one would have expected them to even be bidding for Correa this year. This was so out of the norm for them. By only offering the shorter option to a team that was unlikely to bid long term, he added another suitor. That they did more than just increase the bidding, probably surprised Boras as much as anyone.
@stymeedone:
It was Boras’ initiative back then? I didn’t know that at all, but it makes perfect sense! Finding solutions to bring in the mid-market teams bidding for star players will certainly drive up salaries.
Correa is a special case, though – one of the best players in the league with a very unclear long-term health outlook. But I think Boras handled this strange situation very well, especially without burning bridges (so that the Twins circled back to Correa and the Giants overpaid on his client Conforto).
Gruß,
BSHH
Dang, just glad Braves didn’t get him lol
Hahahahaa Boras Sorcery!!!
Carlos may be the only man to lose more money in the last month than Elon Musk.
He didn’t lose anything near how much Musk has lost. Not even close.
This is exactly how I thought it would play out! The ballad of Carlos Correa is complete!
Sure ‘bout that?
Actually….three cringe worthy words at the end of the post…..more to come…
Everybody now……(sound of a nation wide baseball fan base groan)
Please….Just put it to bed already
And the saga continues….
Good for Minnesota. Best outcome for all. When 2 clubs flag an issue, buyer beware.
This is hilarious
Thank God….. And I’m a Mets Fan
Agreed. Mets will absolutely get Ohtani next year
I hope so. Bauer and Correa saved Cohen from himself. Both would be disastrous contracts. Regardless of Correa’s ankle, that back isn’t holding up for 12 years.
I never understood the idiotic Bauer contract. The only thing more idiotic was releasing him to be PC.
Assuming he makes it to free agency, I would definitely expect the Mets to be the highest bidder on Ohtani.
Doesn’t mean they will get him.
The market value for Ohtani could reach 500 million. I think he will go wherever he wants. It won’t matter who the highest bidder is, he might want to stay on the west coast for all we know. When he originally signed with the Angels he had many bidders.
I don’t know about this one. The Dodgers, Giants, and Angels (maybe with new owners) are all likely to pounce, and Ohtani may prefer the West Coast. Mets will try certainly, but so will 20+ other teams.
Ohtani will best a west coast guy. Big bucks available there next year and half a world closer to home than NY. I would guess SF or LA.
At least 20 teams will not be able to afford him.
Maybe he just wants to get a physical from every team before he decides where to go…
WHERE’S THE ACE PITCHING THAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS?
Aloha folks, thank you Lord that Jed didn’t try to get back in on this drama! Tired of this story, so much other good baseball to follow! Mahalo and Happy New Year!
So how seriously do we take this?
Queue Mets fans: We didn’t want him anyway.
Not at that length and price
And “Now we’re getting Ohtani!”
Most didn’t. He was an absurd luxury signing that came out of almost nowhere.
Cue the Jeopardy music now!
Pirates 6 years, $75 mil.
So it’s like the MLB version of “Deal or No Deal”? Great idea!
*phone rings as banker calls Howe Mandel with a new lowball offer*
I’ll take behind door number three. A goat and a year’s supply of Mac ‘n Cheese.
Bullet dodged!!!
Pending a physical…
He has to get 502 plate appearances in year 6 to force a year 7. This is no guaranteed 10 year deal. Wow
I agree with the idea behind what you’re saying. My only slight disagreement is based on reports I’m guessing even if the Mets offered the same deal Correa would have turned them down since he would have viewed it as them going back on their word. I think once the Mets balked and did it for two weeks Correa and his team were a little upset with them.
Carlos Correa lol.
Looking forward to the press conference.
Correa: “I’m just happy to be back in Minnesota. I love it here. Love the fans, love the organization. Really happy to spend the rest of my career here.”
Reporter: “Didn’t you try to sign with two other teams?”
Correa: “In my heart I was always hoping they would bail and I would lose $100m, and I got my wish.”
He didn’t LOSE $100 million. He signed for 6 fewer years. He can still sign another deal at the end of those 6 years and possibly make even more than he would’ve on the Mets deal.
Key word “possibly”…..as of today he has $100 million fewer gauranteed dollars.
We usually focus on the guaranteed dollars. This is why a player will take 3/39 over 1/18. It’s the guaranteed dollars. Correa lost $100M in guaranteed dollars.
You can’t lose something that you never had to begin with. He didn’t lose it, he just never got it to begin with. If someone offers me a yacht, but then takes it back before giving it to me, then I didn’t lose the experience of owning a yacht. I just never got one to begin with.
“You can’t lose something that you never had to begin with.” Not true. Many hard rock and country songs discuss this.
You can effectively say that he’s lost a lot of money here. The odds of him signing another six year, $150 million deal when he’s 34 are quite long.
It would be 7/150 which was the Giants offer or 6/115 which was the Mets offer. Brandon Belt just got $9.3 million for a year and he STUNK in 2022. In 6 years, baseball salaries will probably be even more. I don’t think it is that odd to think that Correa could get at least a majority of that salary if he remains in the top 15 of MLB shortstops or even if he moves to third by then.
Massive over think on hiflews part.
Two sayings that are never good in a Correa contract negotiation … “pending the completion of a physical” and “more to come”
Who is next on the merry go round once this falls through? I call Mariners
Cohen outsmarted by Boras again. Cohen really thought he could get Correa to fold and go cheap but now he gets more per year from the Twins and Mets struggle to get third place.
I’m disappointed. I wanted to see if he could have an agreement in place for a few days with every major league club before the start of the season, keeping the hot stove burning.
Isn’t this signing a prerequisite for the fulfillment of your dream?
I was eight! Under 250 million – this hopefully brings down the crazy market in which Swanson gets 162 over the same time period. I feel bad for teams that overpaid for trash like Semien and Swanson and went above market for Seager, Baez, Story, and Bogaerts.
*right
Overpaid for a 6 WAR player? Semien was a bargain.
WAR is stupid. He will decline quickly too. Look at fangraphs WAR.
No. Its not. But you might want to take a long look in the mirror.
The brilliant data scientists that are employed by MLB teams all use WAR. If you were intelligent that would tell you something.
Don’t look at fWAR for any position player in the last 10-15 years. It uses UZR for defense and UZR doesn’t take the shift into account. Enough other people have told you that already. Pay attention.
Brilliant? This is absurd. A bunch of PhDs from colleges nobody has heard of? Lol. I understand analytics. Baseball valuations are literally just like stock analytics. Everyone has a different valuation. Also, if they are so smart, why didn’t Andleton Simmons get as much as most of these 100+ million guys with lower WARs? How did Eli White get DFAd? I don’t mind people being dumb as much as I hate psuedointellectuals. I really don’t care what random people on the internet have told me already. Chill out with the intellect nonsense on here. I assure you I am more intelligent that most fools working for MLB offices. Chris Young, a Princeton student, DFAd Eli White in spite of having a high WAR and even a positive WAA. Defense isn’t as valuable as you think, and nobody in the right mind uses WAR as the only valuation method.
The Mets better hope Alvarez isn’t a bust or they’ll basically have the same team as last year.
You mean the one that won 101 games?
Yes, that would be quite tragic.
They have two 40 year old pitchers leading the staff. Never a good thing no matter how good they are
Schzezer isn’t gonna make it to October. Look at his track record the last few years.
That’s why I say the Mets offseason was mehh. All they really did was keep the same team but got older in the meantime.
Two 40 year old pitchers
Senga was a nice add but they lost Bassit who was tremendous.
Signed Diaz and Nimmo to RIDICULOUS contracts
Honestly: Phillies had the best offseason out of the NL east
@Milwaukee-2208 Long time Mets fan I agree. But they had to do something as 4 of 5 starters were going and 90% of the bullpen.
Braves won the season in more than 1 way….but they have lost the offseason I suppose
.346 BA with a .874 OPS after hurting the plate in his ankle;
That was the key; hit it again.
Turner surely deserves more than Correa.
You’ve got to be kidding !!
It’s not “would guarantee anything,” it’s wouldn’t guarantee anything
Hopefully the Twins get the same doctor they had last year when he signed that deal.
I call BS
Go Braves!!!!
If it truly is 6/200, then Correa will likely make out like a bandit as long as he maintains skills by the end of the deal. He will be 34 at the end of the deal, Over the next 7 years, it is possible he could sign for $150MM as long as his skills don’t deteriorate much. And even if he can’t make back that much, he would still likely make back the 6/115 that the Mets offered.
He’d be better off, though, if he can walk away (hopefully no pun intended here) from the last four years, which will be at a very affordable $17.5MM AAV. And that will be in future dollars.
Regardless, he lost guaranteed money from the first deal with the Giants, but still came out fine, assuming he passes the physical. The Twins more than any team will now see if there’s any significant change from their physical last year.
If he can’t average 120 games a year then he’s not worth his vesting option as 34 yr old shortstop which starts at 25 and ends at 10, so it works both ways.
I don’t think you realize the extreme long odds of a 34 year old position player, who already has a history of injuries, signing a big 6 year, $100+ million deal. He’ll have been in the league 14 years at that point. That’s a lot of wear and tear.
At that point, he will already have more money than he could possibly need for his lifetime. I don’t think he will be focused on having a slightly bigger pile of money. $200 million is more than enough to insure he will never want for anything. And if $200 million isn’t enough to satisfy him for a lifetime, then $350 million wouldn’t be enough either. So either way, I don’t see a lot of regret for him.
It could also be a $270 million over 10 years. So really only 2/45 less than the Mets deal. When you factor in the cost of living difference between New York and Minnesota and that might be even closer to a break even deal.
Hiflew, because this deal is so heavily frontloaded compared to the Mets deal that was backloaded with deferrals, that 2/45 is an illusion. The deals are roughly equal in today’s dollars.
The Mets made the right move bailing on him
@Flanster And yet were foolish to have let it get this far, lacking a big bat in the lineup.
This reeks of Cohen’s last minute offer to Trevor Bauer his first year owning the Mets: “Omigod, we need an All Star caliber pitcher in the rotation but we forgot until all but one was off the board—hope he signs with us!”
It’s ridiculous.
Grass is always greener until it isn’t. Welcome back C4
All the Mets fan acting like they didn’t want him and they dodged a bullet.. SMH lol
Never wanted him. It never made sense.
I’m a Yankee fan, and I think they’re sincere and they’re right. That original contract with the Mets had disaster written all over it.
you’d have to be crazy and/or incompetent and/or named preller to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at a shortstop when you already have one.
Never wanted him and said it as soon as it was announced
He’s a franchise-altering SS. He’s not a franchise-altering 3B. Mets already had their elite SS. This move made no sense from the start. He would have improved the Mets offense, but his impact as the Twins SS will be much more significant.
He would be an elite 3B. 140 OPS+ and exceptional defense is franchise altering even at 3B. Think Arenado or Machado. Elite players at any position are franchise altering.
Think Arenado at SS and that’s what you’d have gotten with Correa at 3B.
I disagree. His defensive metrics would drop significantly. I’m comping it more to A-Rod and Ripken. Their numbers dipped quite a bit when they moved over. Still very solid, but not the same. Sure age was also a factor there, but they went from elite to very good.
So much for Bowden guaranteeing he would be a Met.
So much for Cohen saying he would be a Met
He clearly doesn’t want to be in Minnesota. Quick money grab. He’s the type of dude to mail it in after getting his money. I fully expect some half @$$ seasons and effort
Expect an Arenado crying scene of trade me we’re not as good as I want us to be boohoooo in a couple years
I’m glad I won’t be seeing Correa 10 times a year now. Thanks Daddy Steve, can’t wait to see how much crap you talk on Twitter!
I’m a Mets fan, and I genuinely hope this works out for the Twins.
Called it. Exactly what I thought he’d get if he got a big deal. Still an overpay. They’ll be regretting this in 3-4 years, possibly even 2 years. But at least he didn’t pull off the Ponzi scheme of a contract he’d been aiming for.
The Twins are still suckers but not the biggest suckers and Correa is gonna feel like this contract is a consolation. Not a ton more than the Astros offer he turned down in the grand scheme of things.
And if he get all 10 years for $270M that’s still well below the AAV he’s pretended he’s worth and still in line with the Detroit offer he turned didn’t first.
Just a pointless exercise in egomania and delusions of grandeur that ended in the original and appropriate valuation.
What a [insert foreign word for stupid asinine silly thing]
TTO, you don’t pay attention very well. This deal is a higher AAV than the Giants or Mets deals. Correa made $35 million last season and $270 million for the next 10 years so that is $145 million higher than the Astros offer.
Six years for $200 million. Correct me if I’m wrong but that was the Astros final offer
You’re wrong. 6/175. close tho.
Still more than the Mets final offer
If you’re going to correct people, you should know what you’re talking about. It was 5 years 160m. So Correa was right to gamble on himself getting 7yrs at 235m. I kind of think 235 is better than 160.
5/160 was the Astros final offer.
10 yrs $270m
Down from 13 yrs $350m
Short-term, this is bad for the Mets, because Correa would have made them better right now. Long-term, it’s a win.
This was a huge dodged bullet. Cohen is using his finances to build the teams of the next few years but he’s stacking prospects. They “should” be good for a long time but they are the Mets and they could screw up a free lunch. I feel like Cohen plunked Boras and that has to feel good.
Maybe this has been stated before, but Correa opted out of a 3 yr deal worth $35.1M for a 6 yr deal at $33.3M. For the Seinfeld fans, this reminds me of the episode where George refused NBC’s offer, had to beg for a lower offer and ended with Jerry saying “So you held out for LESS money?” I understand there were concerns on the leg, but I only say that b/c I want to hear that POS Boras explain that one..
I’m real excited to see Super Boras BS his way through this next interview session. No more questions….no more questions please.
That comparison doesn’t really make sense. He basically got the same money turning a 3 yr contract into a 7 yr contract and you always have to reduce the average the longer the contract is. He was never going to get a long term contract because he’s damaged goods. The whole reason he wanted a long term contract is because he knows he’s damaged goods and knows he will be beat up in his later years if he’s playing at all.
All the geniuses saying the Mets were trying to pull a quick one, have it backwards – it’s Correa trying to pull a quick one.
Correa opted out of $70 million for $200 million guaranteed with vesting options that can bring it to $270 million.
I don’t think so. The 35.1m deal only guarantees 105.3m, while the 6 year deal guarantees 200m. It also means Correa would have had to complete the first deal, then get at least 3/94.7m in his next deal, beginning at age 30. That’s unlikely, unless he was playing at his peak all three years.
What Correa gets to sell this offseason is the heart of his career. His age 28 and 29 seasons are by far the two most valuable years he has to sell. Once those are gone his value declines significantly.
Can’t wait for the press conference.
“I really didn’t wanna be here but my agent got me the most money to sign”
So all in all, Correa this offseason has agreed to contract terms of 31 years and $865 million.
@los_leebos – possibly best comment I’ve ever read on here
Correa gets $80m less guaranteed than Xander this offseason, just like everybody knew would happen
The market has spoken. It’s interesting he didn’t take the revised Mets deal. $200M guaranteed for 6 years is a lot of money. The vesting options are for less. Whatever the player and Boras might say, there’s obviously an issue.
After all that noise, he’s the least paid of all the FA shortstops this offseason.
Swanson made $177M, and it was over 7 years instead of 6/200.
It is going to be a challenge for MN to financially put together enough quality pitching and money for everyone else who “wants theirs” with CC around 33.3mil AAV next 6 seasons. They also can’t withstand him missing 25+ games like a loaded Houston roster or large market team can overcome. Cleveland likely happy with the more durable star in Ramirez and quite a bit of youth/pitching.
Yep, the Twins are desperate and would be better off building for the long term.
Twins are in a substantially larger market than San Diego and look at what the Padres have done.
The Twins can spend much more.
Ahahaha stupid dumb Mets fans. Doesn’t matter the owner or GM they end up the laughingstock of the league year after year. Will remain losers for life
Speaking of losers…..
I really don’t understand these stupid takes. How are the mets losers for not giving a guy they had concerns with $300m?
Mets saw a way out
Happy that he is not going to be in NY…unhappy that Cohen pulled out of the original deal.
Actually a bit surprised that he did as well as he did, after all of the legitimate drama about the physicals. Guaranteed $200M with the potential for another bite of the apple in six years. Other than the embarrassment, Correa is just fine.
Also good to see the Twins grab a major market move. Need more of this in baseball.
Also glad to see that the Twins got him. And also see what the Rangers have done. Gotta spread the talent around. I’m sure we’ll hear about the details of the Mets’ offers eventually. My take is that the Mets wanted club options over vesting options. Elvis Andrus got cut bc the A’s didn’t want his option to vest.
YBC, the Mets were offering a guarantee of 6/115 with the rest of the deal conditional and a huge portion deferred.
@BaseballisLofe Do you have a source for this? That seems oddly low for a guarantee.
WFAN this morning.
Of course he name drops some random radio station that we have no way of confirming that they actually said what he claims they said.
Agree with everything you wrote but I think aglfter the 6 Yeats are up the vesting of the contract is not optional, if he has 502 PA’s in the 6th year than it automatically triggers the 7th year. Neither the Twins or Correa can get out of the deal without the normal process taking place.
@kleppy Yes, I’m aware of that. If healthy, compiling enough ABs to trigger an option to vest isn’t too difficult. It’s the performance in those ABs that probably concerns the Mets.
Just saw the updated article – it appears that you are correct. Automatically vested if requirements are reached. Which is really not a bad thing at all for either side. One could point out extreme scenarios but why quibble over a few million here and there?
I am still trying to talk them into paying me $500K per year to be a bullpen catcher…