At long last, the saga of Carlos Correa’s free agency has finally, officially come to an end.
Correa was formally re-introduced as a Twin in a press conference on Wednesday, finalizing a six-year, $200 million deal that returns the star shortstop to Minnesota. The media address concludes a bizarre offseason journey in which Correa reached agreements with two other clubs—the Giants and the Mets—that eventually fell through after he underwent physical exams that gave teams pause about the health of his ankle.
On Wednesday, Correa addressed those concerns, saying that he too was caught off-guard by the deals falling apart.
“One thing I learned throughout the whole process was that doctors have a difference of opinions,” Correa told reporters. “I had a lot of doctors tell me that I was fine, I had some doctors that said it wasn’t so fine. It was shocking to me because since I had the surgery, I never missed a game, I never [got] treatment in my ankle, my ankle’s never hurt.”
Correa originally agreed to a 13-year, $350 million agreement with San Francisco, but the team had “concerns” regarding their review of Correa’s medical information. Then, Correa agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets and the same thing happened.
Correa signed with the Twins last offseason after previously spending his entire career with the Astros. He hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 136 games before opting out of his three-year, $105.3 million contract in October.
Correa said Wednesday that he took three physicals in 2022, and all resulted in a clean bill of health. He also said his body has “never felt better,” and he’s happy with how his free agency journey ultimately ended up.
“I’m happy to be here in Minnesota. I’m happy to be a Twin,” Correa said. “We started something special last year and there’s some more work to be done.”
