Report: Twins to meet 'face-to-face' with Carlos Correa this week
The Minnesota Twins are reportedly set to make a strong push to re-sign Carlos Correa this offseason and a critical point in negotiations could come next week.
KSTP's Darren Wolfson reports that the Twins will meet "face-to-face" with Correa and his representation in the coming days to discuss a new long-term deal, but previous reports have already indicated that the market is moving quickly to sign the star shortstop.
LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune said on the Talk North podcast earlier this month that the Twins have made multiple offers in the range of six to 10 years with the shorter deals carrying a higher annual average value.
It is unclear whether those talks have made any progress on a long-term deal for the 28-year-old, but it appears that Correa won't have a shortage of suitors.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that his market "is already excellent" ahead of next week's Winter Meetings in San Diego, and that the Twins are seeking to re-sign Correa and "build the franchise around his talent."
Passan believes that Correa should be able to fetch a deal in excess of $250 million even in a shortstop class that includes Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson.
One of those teams interested in his services could be the New York Yankees. Passan reported earlier this week that the league is in a holding pattern until Aaron Judge signs in free agency. Reports have narrowed down the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees as potential suitors for Judge, but his decision could add another high-profile bidder to the Correa sweepstakes.
If Judge decides to turn down a reported offer in excess of $300 million from the Yankees, New York could turn its attention to some of the bigger names on the market, including Correa.
Another team that could be interested in signing Correa is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Athletic's Jayson Stark reports that the Phillies have a meeting scheduled with Correa and the other three marquee shortstops in this year's class at next week's meetings and could look to sign one before they conclude on Wednesday evening.
With the wheels starting to turn on Correa's free agency, the big question is where he will sign.
An ESPN survey of 12 MLB executives predicted that the Yankees were the team most likely to sign Correa this offseason but the results were spread out. While New York gained four votes, the Twins and San Francisco Giants each had three votes while the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox had one each.
Another interesting note is that the Twins did not gain a vote for any of the other top shortstops on the market, which makes it seem like the Twins will either sign Correa or look for a cheaper alternative until Royce Lewis is ready to return from a torn ACL suffered last May.
That thought could be based on the Twins' historical reluctance to hand out long-term contracts. New Twins executive chair Joe Pohlad – who took over day-to-day operations for his uncle Jim on Tuesday – told the Star Tribune's Jim Souhan that Jim Pohlad "was not a big fan of long-term contracts."
Minnesota's foray into long-term deals has also backfired over their history as Joe Mauer was forced to move to first base by the end of an eight-year, $184 million contract signed in the spring of 2010, and Byron Buxton battled injuries in the first year of a seven-year, $100 million contract signed prior to last season.
Whatever Correa's decision is, the Twins would presumably want one as soon as possible in order to add to a roster that has missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
