Carlos Correa and the Twins accelerate talks as the deal with the Mets remains in limbo

Update (Jan 10th): Carlos Correa and the Twins agreed to a six-year deal.

The possibility of an amazing meeting between Carlos Correa and twins team sources said Monday evening.

with the Mega deal case agreed with New York Mets Last unresolved month, the Twins were suddenly back in the mix for a free agent. Two club sources said on Monday that talks between the twins and Correa are starting to accelerate. A separate major league source confirmed the development as well.

Conversations are smooth, and the Mets aren’t necessarily out of bids. But it’s been 19 days since the Mets reached an agreement with Correa on a 12-year, $315 million contract, pending Madi. Mets, like San Francisco Giants before them, I grew concerned about the condition of Correa’s right ankle during medical review. As the parties continue to negotiate contract language, Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, has reached out to other teams, including the Twins.

In November, Correa opted out of a three-year, $105.3 million contract he signed with the Twins in March 2022. However, the club hasn’t shy away from wanting to keep Correa, who batted 291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI. And produced 4.9 wins above replacement last season.

The original Minnesota effort, which included a $285 million 10-year offer, fell through when Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants on December 14. Opinions differ on the physical examination of Korea. The Mets deal soon fell through for the same reason.

Despite those concerns, Boras and the Mets tried to find a way to New York. Corea was originally very happy to hear of the Mets signing him last month Boras countered On a hotel bed while partying.

Sources said the twins have kept in constant contact with Boras, creating a potential relegation point if Correa’s deal with the Mets falls apart.

All along, the Twins expected Correa and the Mets to finalize their agreement, but the Twins’ president of baseball operations, Derek Valvey, kept his club ready just in case.

While sources said the Twins always knew the big-market club could “blow them out of the water” on a bigger deal, the team made it clear they were very interested in bringing Correa back and were open to creativity with the possibility of opt-outs and other protections in a deal.

Last March, Boras praised the Twins’ front office for his creativity when the two sides came to an agreement The original contract of Korea within 14 hours. The Twins also gained experience putting together incentive-packed deals after completing a seven-year, $100 million extension for the frequently injured quarterback. Byron Buxton In December 2021, a contract that includes up to $10 million in annual performance bonuses based on staying on the field.

While the Twins will certainly want to do their own physical with Korea, the team already has a sense of their general condition after a thorough test last March.

Although the Twins did test out Korea in October, these are often limited to areas of concern that have arisen during regular player visits to the coach’s room. Aside from an incident in May when Correa believed he had broken a finger, team sources indicated that the shortstop had never set foot in the coach’s room, not even after he was writhing in pain on the floor after his difficult slide to second base on September 20. in Kansas City.

After that game, Correa admitted to inserting a metal plate in his right leg, the result of an injury that occurred while he was in the minor leagues in 2014.

“It hit my plate,” Corea said, referring to the devices in his leg. “I had surgery and it hit. Just kind of numb. Shaking. So I’d wait for it to subside. It was a little scary, but when I moved I knew I was good.”

Aside from a fingering, which cost him 12 games, and a late May game with COVID-19, which resulted in him missing eight games, Correa has been pretty solid for the Twins. He appeared in 136 of their remaining 142 games and was a regular in the Twins’ injury-hit injury-hit lineup all season.

Twin I love what Korea has brought them In one season together, a mixture of swagger and baseball savvy. And now, in another stunning turn, they’re in a position to bring the Correa saga back into full swing, back to Minnesota.

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)