Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets sent shockwaves across Major League Baseball on Sunday night. But an unexpected ripple effect could involve Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins.
Twins President of Baseball and Business Operations Derek Falvey told reporters on Monday afternoon that he is open to listening to offers for Correa, but isn’t looking “to simply shed Correa’s salary” ahead of the 2025 season.
While teams may come calling, Falvey also praised Correa’s value, insisting that any suitor would need to “pay a high premium” to acquire the All-Star shortstop according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes.
“When (Correa) was on the field, he was one of the best players in the game. Ultimately, he didn’t play as many games as we would have liked because he was dealing with the plantar fasciitis. That was unfortunate. But when he played, he was really good for us. He’s a leader. He’s a key member of the clubhouse. Obviously, you expect teams to call on players like that, especially with where we are and some of the conversations we’re having with other clubs. But we want to win, so a high bar is set.”
The Twins’ payroll situation and Correa’s health could facilitate a trade
The Twins may want to keep Correa heading into next season but his health and the team’s payroll situation could force Falvey to explore a trade.
Correa signed a six-year, $200 million contract in the winter of 2023 and is still owed $128 million over the next four years. But that contract was signed in a different period of time when the Twins spending wasn’t heavily restricted by ownership.
Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad decided to slash payroll by $30 million ahead of the 2024 season and the result was a collapse where Minnesota saw a double-digit lead in the American League Wild Card standings evaporate on the way to missing the playoffs.
Of course, Correa’s absence was a big reason for that collapse. Correa batted .310/.388/.517 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI while making his third All-Star appearance last season but played just 11 games in the second half as he battled plantar fasciitis for the second straight season.
The injury raises some concerns about Correa’s long-term health after mega deals with the San Francisco Giants and the Mets fell through before he returned to the Twins in 2023. It could also be wise to try and trade him if a team that missed on Soto presents a godfather offer to add a star to their lineup.
Twins expected to be active in trade market regardless of Correa’s status
But even if Correa stays in Minnesota – or exercises his no-trade clause to veto any deal – it’s likely the Twins will be involved in the trade market in the coming months. While the Twins payroll is expected to remain around the $130 million mark the Twins played at last season, they still need to make moves to improve a team that finished fourth in the American League Central last season.
With the Twins currently sitting at $142 million according to Fangraphs, Hayes suggests the Twins could look to dump some salaries including Chris Paddack ($7.5 million salary in 2025), Christian Vázquez ($10 million) or Willi Castro ($6.2 million) through a trade and spend the money elsewhere.
Whatever happens, the Twins are likely to be active in the coming weeks in an effort to help Minnesota rebound from a disappointing year.