It’s been a rough year for Carlos Correa, one that hasn’t really settled down since the calendar turned back in January.
Correa had one of the most ridiculous free agency journeys fans have ever seen, agree to three different deals with three different teams over the course of a month. He first agreed to sign with the San Francisco Giants for $350 million but that deal was nixed due to a red flag during his physical.
That hiccup allowed Steve Cohen and the New York Mets to swoop in and offer him a $315 million, but that also fell through due to concerns about his medical records. Eventually the bottle stopped spinning on the place where Correa’s free agency began: Minnesota.
Correa and the Twins agreed to a $200 million contract, and it ended up being the one that stuck. That’s how his second stint in Minnesota started, which has amplified his struggles so far this sseason
Carlos Correa sets record straight about free agency decision
Before Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, Correa spoke to the media and once again commented on his decision to sign with the Twins in free agency. Correa wasn’t totally dismissive of the Giants or Mets, but made sure to point out that he’s agnostic to their struggles this season.
“To be honest, I haven’t even checked their box score once, them or the Giants,’’ Correa said, via the New York Post. “I’m the kind of guy who turns the page on things real quick. I don’t hold grudges and don’t have feelings invested in things that don’t happen, so it’s easy to move on.”
To be fair, Correa has other things to worry about. He’s an All-Start caliber player with a career .274 batting average, but he’s missing the mark in both areas so far this season. Correa wasn’t even a notable omission from the All-Star team this year and has an average barely above .200 through the first half of the season.
His struggles are juxtaposed against the $200 million contract he got from Minnesota, something that Mets fans were eager to troll him about early in the season. With New York in even worse shape than the Twins — and with a hilariously bloated payroll — it turns out the entire situation is not a laughing matter for anyone.
Correa still has an entire half-season to bounce back, not to mention five more years on his contract after 2023. Perhaps most notably, Correa mentioned that he’s ‘very happy’ with his decision to sign in Minnesota and doesn’t sound like he regrets the way things turned out.
"I'm very happy with my decision and so is my wife,” Correa said. “Our kids are going to grow up in Minnesota.”