Twins' Updated Starting Lineup, Payroll After Carlos Correa's Reported Contract

The Minnesota Twins reportedly made a major free-agent splash to upgrade their lineup by signing longtime Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.

Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reported Saturday the Astros and Correa agreed to a three-year, $105.3 million contract with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

Here's a look at the club's projected batting order after the blockbuster move, which Spotrac noted increased its 2022 payroll to $107.3 million (20th in MLB):

• Byron Buxton (CF)
• Luis Arraez (DH)
• Carlos Correa (SS)
• Miguel Sano (1B)
• Jorge Polanco (2B)
• Max Kepler (RF)
• Gary Sanchez (C)
• Alex Kirilloff (LF)
• Gio Urshela (3B)

It's a mutually beneficial deal as the Twins needed another high-end bat for the middle of their lineup and Correa gets extreme contract flexibility that could allow him to return to free agency quickly as the financial impact of the new collective bargaining agreement comes into focus.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rico native spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Astros. He earned two All-Star selections, was named the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year and helped the club capture a World Series title in 2017.

He's coming off a strong 2021 campaign where he posted a .279/.366/.485 slash line with 26 home runs in 148 appearances and ranked third in WAR (5.8) among shortstops, per FanGraphs.

Minnesota's lineup now features good balance and depth, but as always its overall success will hinge heavily on the health of Buxton.

The 28-year-old outfielder is one of MLB's most explosive players when healthy, and he was off to a brilliant start last year before getting derailed by midseason injuries that limited him to 61 games. He posted a career-high 1.005 OPS when available.

If Buxton and Correa both play around 140 games or more, the Twins should be in the hunt for the AL Central division title for the stretch run of the regular season.

With that goal in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Minnesota continue to survey the free-agent and trade markets to see whether it could land a starting pitcher or two before the season kicks off. The rotation could still use some work.

The Twins begin the 2022 campaign April 7 when they welcome the Seattle Mariners to Target Field for Opening Day.