Twins might have an ace up their sleeve in Carlos Correa negotiations
By Josh Hill
If you want to get anywhere in the world, you can’t always play nice.
That’s a tough concept for Minnesotan’s to grasp, given our reputation, but there’s a sneaky passive aggressive side to us that often gets overlooked. It’s that side that appears to be coming out of the Minnesota Twins front office, as the Carlos Correa plot continues to thicken with each new day.
Last week, two MLB insiders reported that the Twins were back in the mix for Correa after his deal with the New York Mets hit a snag. Initially it seemed as though Minnesota was merely being used as a bargaining chip for Scott Boras to force Steve Cohen’s hand, but it’s now beginning to look like the Twins have a greater chance at landing Correa than first thought.
It’s also looking like the leverage belongs to the Twins more than it does anyone else.
According to Twins Daily, Minnesota might be using the smoking gun of Correa’s concerning physical as leverage to steal him away from the Mets.
"According to a source, Minnesota is now using the physical to their advantage. Correa was already cleared last March for what was a three-year contract. As recently as Saturday morning another offer was made. While the deal would still likely require a physical, the Twins have indicated they are comfortable with where Correa’s health and body are."
You love to see it. And it’s a pretty brilliant plan.
Minnesota Twins rumors: Carlos Correa’s physical plays a key role
One of the reasons the Twins re-entered the conversation is the team’s willingness to relax about Correa’s concerning physical. It doesn’t take a genius to see that no team in baseball knows about Correa’s health more than Minnesota, both because of the injury he appeared to suffer in September and their deal with him last year.
As Schwerzler points out, the Twins have already been down this road with Correa and have crossed the bridge. Nothing about his leg seems to have significantly changed between last spring and this winter — other than the potential flare up a few months ago — which positions Minnesota to make the same call now that it did then.
There’s also the reduced contract variable to factor in. New York wants to know for a fact that Correa will be able to maximize all ten years of his contract to make the $315 million worth it, and clearly aren’t at that point yet. Minnesota could offer a shorter deal with a high AAV which would allow Correa to hit free agency still in his prime and still able to cash in on a monster deal.
This is all speculation and the pockets of Steve Cohen are as deep as his need to be on top — two big things working against the Twins here. But what once seemed like nothing more than leverage for Correa is slowly starting to turn into the very real possibility that this all ends with Minnesota landing the coveted shortstop despite all the chaos.