Nearly three weeks after agreeing to terms with the New York Mets, Carlos Correa is reportedly moving on again.
Correa, 28, is reportedly finalizing a long-term deal with the Minnesota Twins — his team from last season. Correa had initially agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants, but that deal wasn’t executed because of a difference in opinion during the medical review process. He quickly pivoted to a 12-year deal with the Mets, but they reportedly expressed similar concerns with Correa’s health.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the latest turn in Correa’s unprecedented winter.
Now, Correa appears headed back to Minnesota on a pact worth six years, $200 million. According to Passan, the deal includes a vesting option that would stretch the official terms to 10 years, $270 million if Correa passes the medical review.
Correa had agreed to a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins last winter, a deal that contained opt-outs after each season. He tested the open market after a strong 2022, only to find the open market closing on him.
The two-time All-Star shortstop entered the winter as one of the top-billed free agents. His rare combination of elite defense, age, and hitting consistency made him a strong bet for the foreseeable future.
But the Giants were alarmed by something that came up in Correa’s physical exam. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the Giants’ decision not to execute the deal was made in a “totally unified” manner.
Multiple reports said both the Giants’ and Mets’ concerns stem to an ankle injury he suffered in 2014 as a 19-year-old prospect. That fracture required surgically inserting a plate, which he felt discomfort with after a slide last September.
Even still, one Stanford orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle surgery said ankle fractures such as Correa’s typically don’t cause long-term issues. Exactly what spooked the Giants and Mets most remains mysterious.
This reported contract, of course, contains the four most ominous words in Correa’s vocabulary these days: “It is pending physical.”
