Carlos Correa Talks Future with Twins, Says Minnesota Will Have to Pay Up to Keep Him
Carlos Correa sure sounded like a man set to decline his $35.1 million player option with the Minnesota Twins for the 2023 season and become a free agent Thursday.
"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," he told reporters. "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 signed a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins this past winter after spending the first seven years of his career with the Houston Astros. The deal included player options in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, however, each worth $35.1 million.
Turning down $70.2 million over two years can't be an easy decision, though the 28-year-old Correa is likely hoping to find the security that comes with a long-term contract while he's still in his prime.
The question is whether Correa will be able to secure one of the lucrative deals he's seen his contemporaries at the position sign in recent years, like Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million), Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million) and Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million).
Teams had the opportunity to sign him to such a deal this past offseason and abstained, so Correa opted for a short-term windfall—his $35.1 million this year led all shortstops in base salary—and the chance to hit free agency again in any of the next three offseasons.
He won't be the only high-profile shortstop on the market, however. Trea Turner will be the headliner in that regard, while Dansby Swanson is also hitting free agency, and Xander Bogaerts could opt out and join the fray.
Correa has had a strong 2022 campaign, hitting .287 with 21 homers, 61 RBI, 68 runs and an .826 OPS. But he isn't going to be the top option at his position on teams' free-agency boards, and it's fair to question if his market might play out in a similar fashion to last winter.
