Correa saga winners, losers: Wild ride for Giants, Twins, Mets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Carlos Correa has shocked the baseball world one last time.
The star shortstop reportedly agreed to sign a six-year contract worth $200 million with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, completing a nutty, one-of-a-kind free-agent carousel.
That is, of course, pending results of a physical.
Correa now has agreed to three contracts this offseason totaling nearly $1 billion, the first two which fell apart due to concerns over his physicals: 13-year, $350 million with the Giants, 12-year, $315 million with the New York Mets and the latest contract with the Twins, which can max out at $270 million with vesting options for four additional years after the six-year deal.
Here are the winners and losers from perhaps the wildest free-agent drama in the history of MLB free agency:
Winner: Minnesota Twins
The Twins patiently waited in the weeds while Correa’s previous two agreements fell through.
Minnesota was outbid for Correa on its first offer — a reported 10-year, $285 million contract that would have been the biggest in franchise history. The Twins reached out to Correa once the Giants deal fell through, only to find the Mets publicly exclaiming their excitement to add Correa to the lineup at Citi Field.
But when all went quiet for nearly three weeks after the Mets agreement, Minnesota swooped in to bring Correa back to the Twin Cities.
The Twins now have a co-star with outfielder Byron Buxton tasked with snapping the franchise’s historic 18-game playoff losing streak. That’s right. Minnesota hasn’t won a playoff game in their last 18 tries, dating back to 2004 when Correa was 10 years old.
Like the girl next door in a cheesy 1990s romcom, the mid-market Twins were right there all along.
Loser: Steve Cohen
In many ways, Steve Cohen is one of the better owners in baseball. As a lifelong Mets fan, Cohen openly cares about the team he owns and is willing to spend whatever he can to improve the roster and chase a World Series title. Cohen makes sure his voice is heard while doing so, too.
His outspoken ways ended up costing the Mets, however.
The morning after Correa agreed to join New York, Cohen proclaimed he was the “missing piece” to a lineup that won 101 games last season. Those comments coming from an owner before the deal became official might have complicated negotiations when the Mets flagged issues from Correa’s physical and wanted to tweak the money or…