Scott Boras says Twins went after another big money free agent this winter

The Minnesota Twins reeled in their biggest free agent fish in franchise history this winter, bringing back shortstop Carlos Correa on a six-year, $200 million deal.

It’s a massive swing for a franchise that has mostly lived by the rule of saving up for a bigger deal at a later time that never actually comes. Times have changed, though, and Minnesota finally cashed in.

As it turns out, the Twins interest in finally breaking the piggy bank open extended beyond Correa.

Scott Boras talked at length with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently, mostly about how the Correa deal with the Twins came together. Snuck into the larger conversation was an interesting tidbit that highlights how serious the Twins were about making this a sea change offseason.

Xander Bogaerts was another superstar free agent on the market this winter, and Boras says the Twins were in the running to land him.

Minnesota Twins rumors: Xander Bogaerts was a free agent target

As Boras tells it, once it became clear that the Red Sox weren’t interested in bringing him back, the Twins were one of the teams on the phone trying to see if a deal could get worked out.

”[The Red Sox] probably made a decision they were going to sign [Rafael] Devers, and were going to pay only one of them. So we knew at the forefront that Bogey would be somewhere besides Boston,” Boras said. “Minnesota, the Cubs, the Blue Jays, they were really after him.”

Ultimately Bogaerts signed a monster deal with the San Diego Padres, one that the Twins probably wouldn’t have been able to contend with.

That being said, no on assumed they’d back up the Brink’s truck the way the Twins did for Correa — twice, no less — so anything is possible.

Notably adjacent to the Twins involvement is how the Red Sox approached the free agency of Bogaerts. Boston had two All-Star talents on its roster, but elected to only pay one of them rather than pair them up throughout their prime together. It would have been a pricey pairing, but one would assume a team like the Red Sox would be able to afford such a move.

Therein lies unexpected juxtaposition.

Boston electing to pinch pennies rather than paying for a core of Bogaerts and Devers is in stark contrast to how the Twins approached this offseason. It’s usually Minnesota deferring to make a big move as to not impede a future move that may never come. There’s obvious risk that is assumed with a move like signing Correa or spending on Bogaerts, had the Twins done that, but to hear that they were being abnormally aggressive is not only refereshing but hopefully a sign of things to come as the front office attempts to usher in a new era for the club.