By Dan Schlossberg
Maybe the third time’s the charm.
At least that’s the view of Carlos Correa, agent Scott Boras, and the Minnesota Twins.
Like a seagull stealing a slice of pizza on the Jersey shore, the Twins pounced after the medical staffs of both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets paused.
Apparently they were concerned about a metal plate placed in the shortstop’s right leg nine years ago, when he was still in the minors.
Correa reported numbness and vibrations triggered by a hard slide into second base late last season. That raised red flags, though the player missed no time from that mishap. In fact, he did his best hitting of the 2022 season in the final month — perhaps in a final push for financial nirvana.
Urged on by Boras, Correa exercised the first of two opt-outs in his three-year, $103 million Minnesota contract. That immediately made him the top gun of the four-man elite shortstop class and the third-most-prized free agent after pitchers Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom.
Apparently, 28-year-old shortstops with power, speed, and Gold Glove defense don’t grow on trees.
Now that Correa and Company have signed, it turns out that Trea Turner is the only one who got $300 million, the amount the Phillies agreed to pay him over the course of his 11-year deal.
Xander Bogaerts got $280 million, Correa $200 million, and Dansby Swanson $177 million, all for varying lengths of time. In fact, Bogaerts will be 41 by the time his San Diego contract expires.
Correa could realize a lot more than his guaranteed $200 million, however. His pact contains four vesting clauses that could bring him closer to $300 million — if he stays healthy.
That’s a tall order for a player who has been on the injured list seven times in the past eight seasons.
If Correa avoids the IL, he could help the Twins return to the American League playoffs. But he was also there last year, when Minnesota missed the postseason.
In the meantime, the New York Mets are chagrined at their loss. After agreeing to a 12-year deal for $315, the Correa deal was curtailed by medical reports relating to a leg injury incurred in 2014. That same injury resulted in the Giants killing an earlier deal for even more money.
Now the Twins have to hope they have one solid, healthy player rather than a North Correa and South Correa.
At least he’s no longer on the same team as Carlos Carrasco. That would have been way too confusing.
Here’s The Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg started with the AP but now writes for forbes.com, Latino Sports, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and many other outlets. He’s a baseball speaker too. Contact him via ballauthor@gmail.com.
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