The 2022-2023 Minnesota Twins offseason has felt like a swift kick in the shins to Twins fans. They did well to nab solid catcher Christian Vazquez, and by signing Joey Gallo they added some power despite the confusing fit, but the rest of the offseason has been a complete disaster.
The Twins spent the early offseason chasing Carlos Correa, Carlos Rodon, and Xander Bogaerts, only to see Bogaerts land with the San Diego Padres, Rodon land with the New York Yankees, and most painfully, Correa heading to the San Francisco Giants. Now, that last part isn’t even the case:
Breaking: Carlos Correa and the Mets have a deal. $315M, 12 years.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 21, 2022
What Carlos Correa’s New York Mets turnaround means for the Minnesota Twins.
Correa’s deal with the Giants was 13 years, $360 million, far surpassing the Twins’ 10 year, $285 million deal. For the Twins, that made sense. It makes sense that they weren’t willing to go that high and for that long. But the new deal, a 12 year, $315 million pact with the Mets feels a bit like a slap in the face.
Correa’s new deal sees him making $26.25 million per year over 12 years, which is a pretty significant step down (2 years, $30 million, $2.25 AAV) from what the Twins were offering. Once again, it shows just how far out of things the Twins really were.
Not to mention, Correa, who is one of baseball’s best defensive shortstops is now going to be the Mets’ third baseman, as the team already employs Francisco Lindor. He was willing to give up the position he’s played for nearly a decade over two extra years and a few million more a year.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins still don’t have a starting shortstop, and free agency has basically passed them by. The team has a ton of cash to spend and prospects to move, so more is certainly to come, but thus far, things have not looked good, and Correa’s jump to the Mets shows just how far from good things are.