Twins To Sign Carlos Correa

[Unwinder]

Nice move but we still need to trade for another starting pitcher. I'm thinking Ohtani.

[TheLeviathan]

1) I thought no big free agents ever come here because of the weather?  Guess if you pay 'em....they will huh?  Can we all agree to bury that talking point forever?

2) He's no Andrelton Simmons but I think he'll be ok.  

3) This team has a good defensive infield and has expendable players now in Arraez and possibly others who can be moved for pitching.  

[TheLeviathan]

7 hours ago, denarded said:

There are a lot of posters over the last few days who need to be held accountable for their comments on front office/ownership and admit they were wrong. The Twins have not been as 'Twinny' the last 3 or so years. I hope this works out 

'

Some fair criticism is a good thing, we don't have to be duckies and bunnies.    But I agree with you that people weren't willing to see the advantage of moving on from Donaldson.  Not only did we dump his entire contract (which...yes...had albatross written all over it), but we got a good fielding, younger 3B with some offensive upside.  He's also a gritty, fun clubhouse guy.  I was told repeatedly this offseason that there would be no market for Donaldson at full price, much less one that returned value.  Well, we found it.  Then we turned that savings into the best FA on the market, at a prime position of need.

We are a MUCH better team today with Urshela-Correa than we were with Donaldson-IKF.  

[USAFChief]

4 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

Some fair criticism is a good thing, we don't have to be duckies and bunnies.    But I agree with you that people weren't willing to see the advantage of moving on from Donaldson.  Not only did we dump his entire contract (which...yes...had albatross written all over it), but we got a good fielding, younger 3B with some offensive upside.  He's also a gritty, fun clubhouse guy.  I was told repeatedly this offseason that there would be no market for Donaldson at full price, much less one that returned value.  Well, we found it.  Then we turned that savings into the best FA on the market, at a prime position of need.

We are a MUCH better team today with Urshela-Correa than we were with Donaldson-IKF.  

I think the relevant comparison is the current Twins vs the Twins with Correa, Donaldson, and Garver. 

There was no state law requiring the Twins to move Donaldson before signing Correa.

And they have the money.

[Einheri]

This is about the one year overpay I was suggesting for Story.
Definitely need to know if the Twins can trade him or not.

[Five minute major]

I have been blasting the FO for the past week, partly out of well founded fear and partly out of hopes of poking the bear.  I happily retract my statements as this is a fantastic signing.   If they can get another top of the rotation starter, this team could make some serious noise the next couple of seasons and one I will fully support with my fandom, and more importantly to ownership, my wallet.

[wabene]

13 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I think the relevant comparison is the current Twins vs the Twins with Correa, Donaldson, and Garver. 

There was no state law requiring the Twins to move Donaldson before signing Correa.

And they have the money.

I get what you are saying about losing Garver, but hanging on to Donaldson? His predicted production last year was much higher than an actual production leaving some to call him unlucky. He was not unlucky, he can't run. Good move getting out of those last 2 years. I would take Urshela and Miranda the next 2 years over Donaldson in a heartbeat.

[Unwinder]

Guys, Yankees twitter is very fun to read right now. Would recommend.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

2 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

Can’t believe it. Biggest signing in how long? So excited I decided to revive this account 

Welcome back!

[Otto von Ballpark]

30 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

There was no state law requiring the Twins to move Donaldson before signing Correa.

Federal law? International treaty? Divine commandment?

[TheLeviathan]

15 minutes ago, Unwinder said:

Guys, Yankees twitter is very fun to read right now. Would recommend.

Oh please link. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

2 hours ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

So excited I decided to revive this account 

"The screen names have all changed since you hung around..."

 

[KirbyDome89]

Did a double take when I saw the headline. It doesn't matter if Correa is using the Twins to reset his value, it's a great deal for at least this season. I hate the opt outs, but he was never committing to a deal of this length without them. 

[garn from vancouver]

great player. pretty good cheater.

one year deal. makes room for royce coming up.

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

Look around -- there are a lot of teams already set at SS. And a team like the Yankees generally wants to spread out the salary hit over multiple years.

The Astros are a surprise, though. It would have pushed their payroll even higher than it's ever been, but their rumored offer earlier was 5/160. This deal is similar. Maybe Correa already considered that bridge burned?

But hey, even for 1 year, the Twins can have some fun as the rebound boyfriend!

Yeah I think given Correa's history with Houston 5/160 didn't sit well at least if that was the final offer.  After seeing 10\300 for similar level players that would be selling himself short IMO.  With the Twins deal he falls in line to maintain that 30M per year AAV and with the opt outs if he has a tough year next year or gets injured he is still getting 100M with chances every year to opt out and try for a longer term deal. 

This is a sweetheart deal for Correa and probably hard for other teams to match because of the opt outs.  Hard to plan for the future when the next year the player might be gone.  While it is not an ideal contract situation for the Twins it covers their main point of risk.  Don't do long term High AAV contracts as it kills payroll flexibility especially in the end of deal dead years.  It gives this years team a much better chance to compete with a player motivated to have his best season.  It gives this team time to see what they have in younger players.  If Correa does have some weird career ending injury they only have this deal for a few years while their core is pretty young.

It seems like a deal very few teams could live with but for the Twins it gives them a chance to do something special this year.  Lots of baseball to played and winning the offseason means nothing but this signing sure generates excitement and gives us hope for a good year this year.

[Major League Ready]

8 hours ago, USAFChief said:

I think the relevant comparison is the current Twins vs the Twins with Correa, Donaldson, and Garver. 

There was no state law requiring the Twins to move Donaldson before signing Correa.

And they have the money.

If they were willing to spend at that level, I would much prefer Urshela plus the nearly $13m difference in salaries from this deal spent on pitching.  That’s 2 pretty darn good BP arms or a SP in trade.

Urshela had a bad year last year but his wRC+ was almost identical (1 pt higher) than Donaldson in 2019 and 2020.  He is also a better defender at this point in their careers and not as much of an injury risk not to mention the likelihood of decline.  This only gets worse in 2023 and they have a 16M option for 2024 with an 8M buyout.  I will take Urshela, the money to use elsewhere, and the risk mitigation all day long.
 

[TheLeviathan]

9 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Did a double take when I saw the headline. It doesn't matter if Correa is using the Twins to reset his value, it's a great deal for at least this season. I hate the opt outs, but he was never committing to a deal of this length without them. 

Basically....a one year deal is all anyone was getting out of Correa.

[rickyriolo]

Is this heaven? NO it’s Minnesota !!!

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

I like this deal for the following reasons:

-improved defense and lineup for this year

-doesn’t block our younger shortstop players giving them time to mature

-probably no dead money due to deal length and his age

-if we have a bad 2022, we can turn him over at the deadline (haven’t heard about any no trade clause)

-allows Urshela to to play at his strongest position

Overall, I give the FO an A on this move. Now, make it worth while by getting another front-line SP and a RH closer.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

[Unwinder]

59 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

Oh please link. 

I've just been searching by "Yankees Correa" and scrolling. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

https://twitter.com/search?q=correa yankees&src=typed_query&f=live

[tony&rodney]

A wonderful signing. Correa is a shortstop.

This is all so confusing .... when you look at the Twins roster on November 1 and then compare it to March 17, it is difficult to comprehend what was going to be a positive outcome.

About a week ago I had heard that Story was not interested in the Twins unless there were two strong additions made to the roster. Today we learn that Correa had used WAR to ask one team where they were going add to become competitive. BP and Fangraphs had the Twins around 80-84 wins this season, which meant that Correa could see a light going to Minnesota. This was not on anyone's radar. I have not heard nor read a single link (0%) connecting Correa and MN. This completely changes the course of this season. Correa is a tough out and has a beautiful glove.

A question which has dogged me all winter and returned pretty much zero interest from those on Twins Daily has been the eventual budget for the Twins. I initially believed that $140-150 million was a solid number that built in a decent profit for the franchise. TD used $130 million. The recent moves, suddenly, made me question all previous speculations. This was particularly true because all of the free agents that would cost any money were gone and there was the whispering that Story had pushed the Twins aside. Correa was not in any iteration .....

.... until today and this is wonderful. 

Next? This signing, much more than if Story had been signed, opens up any number of options. Yes, Montas and Manaea are still being talked about, but the Twins could still entice the Reds, Marlins, Orioles, or another team with various offers. One pitcher could make a huge difference and two could mean fun comes to Target Field. The Correa addition means that the next move might be impossible to predict as well, but also mean that the Twins feel comfortable pushing their budget beyond $130 million. 

Correa, as someone else wrote, is a sugar boost. I love sugar.

[a-wan]

Correa's character? Did he get accused by 23 women of assault?

The best time I had last year was booing the Astros until my throat was sore., and was quite proud how loud Target Field booed them as well.

But serious, his character makes this a terrible signing? You better be careful falling off that soapbox.

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I am stunned. 

Same. Mostly I'm happy for the team and it's fans. 

[Squirrel]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

Same. Mostly I'm happy for the team and it's fans. 

I know ... after my initial 'Holy ****!' comment when I first woke up and read the news, the next was to get online and find out when the Twins will be in town to buy tickets ... because, whatever happens ... watching Buxton AND Correa will be good times!

[ashbury]

This is a financial aspect to this contract that I haven't yet seen explored.  But that's for another day, or maybe another hour if I get antsy.  For now: woo hoo!  We're in Win Now Mode and I like the feeling.

[Vanimal46]

Still getting used to this! 

[TheLeviathan]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

This is a financial aspect to this contract that I haven't yet seen explored.  But that's for another day, or maybe another hour if I get antsy.  For now: woo hoo!  We're in Win Now Mode and I like the feeling.

What financials?  Correa will opt out so that Boras gets full pay for his next deal.  The Twins will just have a chance to convince him he can win here and pay the piper to keep him.  If things go south?  Trade him as a high end rental at the deadline.  He hits FA next year no matter what.

The FO had a budget to work under (as they all do....newsflash for some of our more persistently, purposefully naive posters) and turned theirs into a better roster since the end of the lockout.

[ashbury]

6 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

What financials?  Correa will opt out

He might not.  Think through the worst case.  There's no such thing as a bad one-year contract.  This isn't one year.

[TheLeviathan]

3 minutes ago, ashbury said:

He might not.  Think through the worst case.  There's no such thing as a bad one-year contract.  This isn't one year.

Except it really is.  If Correa opts in his old agent gets paid and not Boras.  That isn't happening. 

But I'm totally fine with the one year.  It's hard for this to be an utter failure unless Correa gets a massive injury.