MLB Rumors: Juan Soto sounds off, Carlos Correa regrets, Dodgers-Brewers trade?
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: NY Mets, SF Giants dodged a bullet with Carlos Correa
Minnesota signed Carlos Correa to a six-year, $200 million contract this winter, despite the star shortstop having questionable physicals with both the Mets and Giants, which caused those deals to fall through. The Twins knew what they had in Correa, and getting him for a high-AAV, six-year contract rather than the decade-long deal he had previously been seeking was a win. But did they really get robbed?
In a piece by The Athletic, Aaron Gleeman takes a deep look at Correa’s struggles, and what it means for the Twins future:
"“For example, in signing Carlos Correa to a six-year, $200 million contract this winter, the Twins likely weren’t banking on him being worth more than his $31 million salaries in 2027 and 2028, at ages 32 and 33. They wanted the value the 28-year-old Correa could provide right away, over the first three or four years of the deal, and the only way to secure that was to also commit to the later years.”"
Correa is slashing .228/.301/.395 in 103 games for a .696 OPS, which is far below the league average. He is making $32 million to be below league average.
Despite Correa’s disappointing year, the Twins are leading the weak AL Central. It works, in part because the rest of Minnesota’s payroll isn’t an albatross. Now, imagine Correa on the Mets or Giants, and it paints a far different picture.
The Giants filed Brandon Crawford at shortstop, and Thairo Estrada at second base. Had Correa signed, Crawford would have moved over to second base in the last year of his contract, which would’ve pushed Estrada and his .743 OPS out of the regular lineup. Not to mention, San Francisco’s payroll flexibility allows them to be a key player yet again on the 2023-24 free agent and trade markets.
As for the Mets, where do we start? Correa would’ve been just another in a long line of expensive failures. New York traded Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but Correa agreed to a 13-year contract in Queens. That cannot be traded away, and Steve Cohen would’ve been looking at his own Bobby Bonilla-sized mistake in Correa.
This worked out well for everyone.