Carlos Correa deal: All-Star shortstop passes Twins physical to complete six-year, $200M deal after Mets saga

The Minnesota Twins and free agent Carlos Correa have agreed to a six-year, $200 million contract that includes an insurance option that could push the value to $270 million. The deal is the latest twist in a months-long free agent saga for the MLB infielder, who previously agreed to deals this winter with the Giants and Mets. The Twins’ deal was pending a physical — not a sure thing this winter as far as Correa is concerned — but Correa passed the exam Wednesday, allowing the Twins to officially announce the signing.

That resolution in Minnesota — where Correa also spent the 2022 season — comes after a tumultuous few weeks in which the Mets and Correa reached a tentative agreement on a 12-year, $315 million contract before the Mets hesitated over offseason fitness. short. The Mets are believed to have had concerns about Correa’s right foot, which he had surgically repaired as a teenager. Correa’s deal with the Mets was preceded by his 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, which fell apart over similar concerns. His agent, Scott Boras, chose to move on and seek other offers after the Giants took too long to reopen negotiations.

In subsequent negotiations with the Mets, the team’s offer was reduced to six years, $157.5 million guaranteed with annual physicals, the New York Post reports. Here’s a complete timeline of the Correa free agency saga.

It should be noted that Correa has not requested a stint on the disabled list because of his right foot since undergoing surgery as a minor leaguer with the Houston Astros. The issue, therefore, is a predictive rather than a prescriptive one. As for Correa’s Twins physical, Jon Heyman reports that Correa’s ankle portion of the exam is now complete, meaning the deal is likely to be medically cleared.

Here’s how the deal would break down:

Dan Hayes notes that the first $200 million is guaranteed and that option years will be covered based on at-bat thresholds:

Correa, 28, entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the third-best free agent available this offseason. Here’s what we wrote:

In the past, we’ve referenced Bill James’ theory that it’s better for a player’s perception if they start hot than finish hot — that way, James once reasoned, their stat line looks better for longer. Correa may be proof of the theory at work. He got off to a slow start, hitting just one home run in April and producing a dismal statline that continued into the summer, leading people to believe he was having a down year, even though he picked up his game over the summer. . Check out his Baseball Reference page now that the leaves are falling and you’ll notice that his OPS+ was higher in 2022 than 2021, a season good enough to earn him the top spot in our agent rankings free last winter. Correa remains a very good player, in other words, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he gets his due and tenure this time around.

A two-time All-Star, Correa hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs in 136 games in 2022 for the Twins. For his career, he’s hit .279/.357/.479 while providing decent shortstop defense. It’s no wonder, then, how he’s amassed nearly 40 wins above replacement, putting him on what amounts to a Hall of Fame track.

Correa returned to the free agent market after exercising an opt-out on his contract with Minnesota. As for physicals, the shorter contract extension and lower total pay may make Correa’s Twins physicals a little less demanding than those he underwent with the Mets and Giants. However, if this offseason has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is certain with Correa’s future contract until the ink is on the paper.