MINNEAPOLIS — In the end, Carlos Correa opted into a Twins contract.
Correa, whose free-agency odyssey began nine weeks ago when he opted out of the final two seasons of his agreement with the Twins, on Tuesday agreed to return to Minnesota for the next six seasons, according to two sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
The Platinum Glove shortstop is guaranteed $200 million, the sources said, far below the $350 million the Giants agreed to pay him in early December and the $315 million the Mets were ready to pony up three weeks ago.
The $33.3 million average annual salary, though a 5.1% pay cut from the $35.1 million he earned with the Twins in 2022, will place him comfortably among the 10 highest-paid players in MLB.
Should Correa remain healthy throughout the next six seasons, at which time he will be 34 years old, the contract can be automatically extended, first at $25 million for 2029 if he reaches 502 plate appearances the previous year, according to a USA Today report. Another three years of extensions are possible, too, for an additional $45 million, if health is not a problem.
But physical health is the catch, of course, and the Twins have the right to put Correa through a complete physical before the contract becomes official. That's important because his agreements with the Giants and Mets were eventually scuttled by the results of physicals, which reportedly uncovered problematic damage to his right leg and ankle.
Correa, 28, injured the ankle in 2014, while he was in the Astros' minor league system, and surgery was required to help it heal. He has shown few signs of lingering damage during his major league career, but the Giants and Mets were obviously concerned by the possibility that he could not fulfill the 13 and 12 years, respectively, that he would have been paid under their contracts.
The Twins, with a shorter guaranteed commitment and the results of his physical when he signed with the team last March in hand, appear willing to bear the risk that Correa's leg will not become a problem. The contract, after all, is the largest in Twins' history, worth $16 more than the $184 million deal that Joe Mauer agreed to in 2010, and his average salary will eclipse Mauer's $23 million by more than $10 million per year.
The Mets reduced their offer by half, to only six guaranteed seasons worth $157.5 million, with the rest dependent upon health, USA Today reported. The Twins thus outbid the Mets over the first six years, making their contract more appealing, even as the total package is potentially worth $45 million less.
In return, the Twins will shore up one of the most critical positions on the diamond for the next six seasons, and retain the most productive hitter in their lineup.
Correa, who has appeared in the postseason in six different seasons and won a World Series with Houston in 2017, played 136 games for Minnesota last season. He hit 22 home runs, second-most ever by a Twins shortstop, posted a team-high .836 OPS, and became one of the leaders of the Twins' young clubhouse.
His return gives the Twins flexibility for the future, too, since he had already agreed to move to third base with the Mets. Two of the Twins' top prospects, Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee, are also shortstops, which could force reshuffling at the position.
