Twins ink Correa to six-year deal with vesting options, pending physical

It’s the news that the Major League Baseball fans, and probably moreso Minnesota Twins fans, have been waiting to hear all winter:

The Minnesota Twins have re-signed shortstop Carlos Correa... pending a physical.

The saga of Carlos Correa may finally come to an end. After opting out of his contract with the Twins after the 2022 season, Correa jumped into a heavy shortstop free agent market and originally signed with the San Francisco Giants to a massive deal. However, the Giants doctors saw something that didn’t sit right with them and the deal was off.

Minnesota had a second opportunity, but the New York Moneythrowers Mets swooped in on the opportunity, offering yet another mega-deal. However, their doctors also saw something of concern. Both teams’ doctors were concerned about Correa’s ankle that was injured when he was 19, which included surgery and insertion of a plate, which Correa mentioned he felt vibrate while sliding into second base late in the 2022 campaign.

It’s been about two weeks (which included the holidays) since news broke that the physical happened with the Mets with some disappointment. In recent days, news had been trickling in that the Twins were back in the hunt for Correa, and the deal has worked out in favor of both Correa and Minnesota.

A clubhouse favorite, Correa will make $200 million over a six-year contract with the local nine. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Correa will receive $36 million each of the first three years, then $31.5 million in 2026, $30.5 million in 2027, and $30 million in 2028. He will also receive an $8 million signing bonus, half of which he will receive this year and the other half next year.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the shortstop can net $70 million total over four vesting years. If he reaches 575 plate appearances in ‘28, Correa will earn $25 million for ‘29. 550 PAs in ‘29 gets him $20 million in ‘30; if he gets 525 PAs during the ‘30 campaign, he will earn $15 million in ‘31; and if Correa nets 502 plate appearances in ‘31, he will earn $10 million in ‘32. If he fails to reach the plate appearance threshold during any of those years, it turns into a club option for the same salary per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. In all, Correa can earn $270 million if the stars align.

Our good friend Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes that there are no opt-outs in the contract. Heyman reports that the deal includes a full no-trade clause.

The signing of Correa, once he passes the physical (which Heyman says is mostly completed) will certainly end a major hurdle for Minnesota and enable them to move forward with shoring up other areas of the team before Spring Training commences next month.

Welcome back, Carlos Correa (pending physical)!!

This article was updated at 615p Central with more details on the contract and sources. Thank you to the commenters who provided additional information before the article was updated!