Correa Press Conference

[bap3141]

I just watched the presser and it was fascinating to see how relationships are developed and deals get done.

To that end, my criticism of the FO is muted somewhat. I heard Boras and Falvey talk about how Falvey was in constant communication, even when agreements were already in place.

Yes, their initial offer was way under market and that's why I don't let them off the hook because this signing worked out due to extraordinary circumstances.

They would have lost the player, but in the same respect they didn't throw out a massive contract and pull it back. That can be equally if not more damaging to a fan base. The Mets will be fine with their cavalcade of stars. Corrrea was just the cherry on top for them. But Giants fans needed a superstar and have got to be extremely disappointed. 

Glad it got done. 

[CRF]

Also just watched it. CC seems to be very genuine and well grounded. It's easy to see why he gets the respect he does from other players and why he's a leader. Not real sure about Boras...he seems like he's pretty slimy, but that's the nature of being an agent I guess. I'm sure that some of the details were embellished a little bit, but all that matters is...it got done. Really glad to have CC here for the 6 to whatever years. We're a MUCH better team with him. On a side note...do you think someone at BSN, or the Twins, could've checked the sound/mike situation before the presser? Just have someone do a test on the sound, before it starts. It's not rocket science. Early in the presser, the sound kept cutting out when they were speaking. They got it fixed eventually, but it was kind of annoying. Good, old fashioned, "technical difficulties"...gotta love it!  Bottom line is...WELCOME BACK Carlos!

[bap3141]

12 minutes ago, CRF said:

Also just watched it. CC seems to be very genuine and well grounded. It's easy to see why he gets the respect he does from other players and why he's a leader. Not real sure about Boras...he seems like he's pretty slimy, but that's the nature of being an agent I guess. I'm sure that some of the details were embellished a little bit, but all that matters is...it got done. Really glad to have CC here for the 6 to whatever years. We're a MUCH better team with him. On a side note...do you think someone at BSN, or the Twins, could've checked the sound/mike situation before the presser? Just have someone do a test on the sound, before it starts. It's not rocket science. Early in the presser, the sound kept cutting out when they were speaking. They got it fixed eventually, but it was kind of annoying. Good, old fashioned, "technical difficulties"...gotta love it!  Bottom line is...WELCOME BACK Carlos!

I agree on Correa.  He repeatedly stated how he only focused on things that he could control, such as his conditioning, during the process.  But what REALLY made me happy was hearing that all of the Twins players texted him after the agreement was announced and how he and Buxton stayed in constant communication.  He very clearly has the respect of that clubhouse. 

Regarding Boras, I expected to have the same reaction as you but I was pleasantly surprised on that front.  He seems to genuinely care about representing his clients. I think that's genuine.  Yes, he makes money but there's a reason why he's so successful.  I seems like he genuinely considers it a privilege to represent world class athletes and their families.  I don't think you could have-arse that and be so successful. 

I'm glad I watched it because I came away impressed with Boras, Correa and Falvey.  And Falvey made a great point also in that this was an excellent baptism by fire for the newest Pohlad.  On that front, when Pohlad was asked if there are more to come and he said that the team would take it on a case by case basis, I guess I would have liked to have seen a more encouraging answer there to build on the fan's goodwill at the moment, but at least he was honest.  

[August J Gloop]

The whole idea that the Twins were way below market is interesting. They offered more AAV to Correa than Bogaerts and Turner. It also seems likely that they were operating on a 10 year limit kind of deal. Heck, Even San Francisco wasn't that wild about San Francisco's offer. They were like that guy in the movie with a comedy auction who just bought something and they didn't know for exactly how much. 

The vibe I'm getting is that in the end, the Twins and folks actually do a better job building meaningful relationships than most MLB teams. It was the constant pull back to a situation where he knew he'd feel respected and supported if the ankle does go a little wrong that won the day. That and their willingness to build a path back to almost 100% of their original offer, unlike the Mets, who definitely had this planned from the beginning. Even now its LOLMets. 

It's not something many of us will much context with, signing a 6-10 year MLB contract. Somehow I doubt every (even most) players literally only want to play for the team they sign with. Yet the fans get in there thinking 'how dare you consider employment elsewhere?' (Shocked face.) My guess is that there are tons of Mega deals that got close but we never hear about them, because of boring banal reasons. 

[bap3141]

6 hours ago, August J Gloop said:

The whole idea that the Twins were way below market is interesting. They offered more AAV to Correa than Bogaerts and Turner. It also seems likely that they were operating on a 10 year limit kind of deal. Heck, Even San Francisco wasn't that wild about San Francisco's offer. They were like that guy in the movie with a comedy auction who just bought something and they didn't know for exactly how much. 

The vibe I'm getting is that in the end, the Twins and folks actually do a better job building meaningful relationships than most MLB teams. It was the constant pull back to a situation where he knew he'd feel respected and supported if the ankle does go a little wrong that won the day. That and their willingness to build a path back to almost 100% of their original offer, unlike the Mets, who definitely had this planned from the beginning. Even now its LOLMets. 

It's not something many of us will much context with, signing a 6-10 year MLB contract. Somehow I doubt every (even most) players literally only want to play for the team they sign with. Yet the fans get in there thinking 'how dare you consider employment elsewhere?' (Shocked face.) My guess is that there are tons of Mega deals that got close but we never hear about them, because of boring banal reasons. 

I agree with most of what you're saying here, but when I said that they were way below market value, it's because they were. I don't care about AAV, one team was willing to pay him $350M and another $315. They were way under market value. 

Yes, we could split hairs about whether or not the Giants were way over value, but I think the Mets were the sweet spot. $300M at least was expected and, in the end, if not for extraordinary circumstances, even that was no higher than 3rd.

Correa is better than Xander and right up there with Trea (better in many regards). Trea cleared $300M, Xander was closer than I expected.

[Nine of twelve]

During the Twins' negotiations with Joe Mauer I remember reading some comments by Ron Shapiro, the now-retired agent who represented Mauer and Cal Ripken, Jr. among others. I don't recall the exact wording but he said something to the effect that people involved in business negotiations will have the best long term success by being respectful and friendly rather than being confrontational and adversarial. That doesn't mean accepting a deal that you feel is unfair to the party you are representing, but it's important to be truthful about your positions and to make an honest effort to understand the viewpoints of the other party or parties involved. Over the years I have had the impression that Boras was a very hard-line, inflexible negotiator. But at the presser he and Falvey both spoke with respect for and appreciation of each other, in almost friendly terms. Boras is probably the most successful sports agent in history and that would not be the case if teams consistently disliked dealing with him.

This also applies to my impression of the Twins' efforts to maintain good will between the team and Correa. Falvey and Correa continue to give me the impression that the front office and on-field staff have always made an effort to work in Correa's best interest without sacrificing the best interest of the team, and I think that was genuine. That's why I also thought it was genuine that Correa was happy to be here and was happy to continue the relationship. I don't fault Correa at all for testing the free-agent market. He has earned the right to do that, and there have been millions of times in businesses throughout the world where someone has done the same thing in his or her field of expertise. Even though there was some luck involved I'm just happy as a fan that the efforts of the team on many fronts have paid off.

[August J Gloop]

The Giants didn't really offer a 'Market Price', though. They did one of those can't refuse kind of deals. They walked in to the dealer, saw the other dude looking at the Ferrari and loudly offered 25% above list to be sure they got it. But then as the paperwork was being drawn up, they wondered if it came in blue. 

If the Mets offer had been the original high offer, I think the Twins would have kept dancing. They were already willing to go 28/ per for 10. No way they wouldn't have sweetened the pot on a few of the early years and got to and average of 31.5 for 10. But he called saying SF is going 350 and they responded oh man, you gotta take that. Probably with some bit of (ultimately correct) doubt it would actually happen.

I don't know this for sure, but it seemed like the Twins had a thing about 10 years. I think there used to be a bit of a norm that was cracked with Lindor and now sits in pieces on the league office floor. But from an accounting perspective, it makes sense to put a cap on how you categorize the outlay. To them they probably saw the Correa value around 285, didn't matter if it were 10 or 13 years. And that wasn't way off from the 'market'. There just wasn't any reason to keep negotiating when the over market deal was already out there. 

This ignores the fact that the cost of living index difference (which includes all the various tax implications and such) between SF and MPLS is .47. Obviously for The Mega Rich that is nowhere near as stark, and MLB taxes are paid where the game is played, but let's charitably say that it's 20% cheaper to work and live in MPLS. That makes the actual value compared to the Twins offer -5 Million. 

And by stretching the deal out to 13 years, the Giants offer cash value would depreciate an additional  2-3% every additional year, making that 350 guarantee considerably less valuable than the 285 the Twins offered. 

So while CC can 'only' get a max of 270 now, the way the Twins have front-loaded the payments, they have actually offered CC a more valuable contract, assuming he can play it out.