It was over, finally.
The Minnesota Twins had waited all offseason long, missing out on their main free agent targets while only signing role players to middling deals. They seemed to have waited too long, and with the free agent market all but empty, their offseason appear to be a disaster.
Instead, a too-hesitant New York Mets team gave them a second chance and the Twins didn’t miss:
BREAKING: Shortstop Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins are finalizing a six-year, $200 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The deal has a vesting option that can max out at $270 million. It is pending physical.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 10, 2023
Now of course there’s the physical, a tripping point for both the Mets and San Francisco Giants, but the Minnesota Twins have already seen Correa’s physical twice since they signed him last March and made it clear that there would be no issue over a shorter term deal like this one.
How a new Carlos Correa contract salvaged the Twins offseason
The deal is a complex one, as everyone following the move expected, but the base guaranteed deal sees Correa paid $200 million over six years with four cheaper years potentially vesting after the guaranteed years run out:
Correa’s conditional salaries from years 7 through 10 in Twins deal are: $25M, $20M, $15M and finally $10M. He vests/guarantees year 7 with 502 plate appearances in year 6. So he can guarantee 85% of the contract with 7 years performance.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 10, 2023
The deal can run up to a total of 10 years, $270 million, just $15 million less than the team’s original 10 year, $285 million deal, but it’s clearly a lot more team friendly. This is an enormous win for the front office, but it also completely saves the offseason from the team’s perspective.
An infield of Christian Vazquez, Jose Miranda, Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Arraez has the potential to be one of the best groups in baseball, but it’s also backed up by some really strong depth in Ryan Jeffers, Nick Gordon, Kyle Farmer, and eventually Royce Lewis.
The outfield is still lefty-heavy, but Royce will be able to play more corner outfield when he returns. Byron Buxton, Joey Gallo, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Gordon, and Kyle Garlick are a good group when healthy, and if Gilberto Celestino and Max Kepler return, that adds even more depth.
The rotation is already much better than people think with significantly improved depth, while the bullpen is only a piece or two away from being solid and the team will likely make that their next priority. A couple of weeks ago, the Twins’ offseason was dead in the water. Now, they seem to have found a new burst of life.