Carlos Correa slung on a white Minnesota Twins jersey and sat alongside Twins front office brass and his agent Scott Boras. This moment, at least in some iteration, had been brewing for weeks.
Correa’s introductory press conference nearly happened in Oracle Park. Then he thought New York Mets signage would backlight him in Flushing. But one of the strangest free agency sagas ended with Correa back in Minnesota, where he suited up last year, smiling in front of flashing cameras and thanking his family, support systems and agent.
“It was not what we expected going into the offseason — traveling around the United States, going to different parts to get the whole process done,” Correa said.
Correa took a six-year, $200 million deal that can expand to 10 years and $270 million depending on his health. His 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants fell through during the medical review process, as did his 12-year, $315 million pivot with the Mets.
The issue at hand, Correa confirmed with the media, was his surgically repaired right ankle. He fractured his ankle in 2014 as a 19-year-old prospect, an injury that typically doesn’t have long-term ramifications.
Correa has missed significant time due to back issues over his eight-year career, but has never had ankle problems as a big leaguer. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the decision not to execute Correa’s contract was made in a “totally unified” manner within San Francisco’s organization.
“One thing I learned throughout the process is doctors can have a difference in opinions,” Correa said. “I had a lot of doctors tell me I was fine, I had some doctors who said it wasn’t so fine. It was shocking to me because since I had the surgery, I’ve never missed a game. I never got any treatment in my ankle. My ankle was never hurt. So when the news came, it was shocking.”
The two-time All-Star added that it was “very surprising” to get flagged during physicals because he underwent three exams during the 2022 season. He said his body has never felt better and a Twins trainer told him he’s in better shape now than he was last year.
While this winter was an “emotional rollercoaster,” he said, Correa tried not to dwell on things out of his control.
The Twins, Correa and Boras said, were on the short list of organizations Correa was interested in joining. He kept in touch with star outfielder Byron Buxton throughout the winter and believes Minnesota has a talented enough core to contend for championships.
“The whole free agency process, it’s a very complicated process as we know,” Correa said. “A lot of things can happen along the way. But at the end of the day, all that matters is I’m here. I’m going to represent this city. I’m going to represent this organization. I’m going to do it the right way. I’m going to play hard every single day, going to be out there in the community helping as much as I can. All that matters is what I do from this moment forward for this organization.”