Correa’s contract shows anything is possible if you try
PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida — Carlos Correa is a Minnesota Twin.
In related developments, anything is possible in Major League Baseball.
The stunning overnight revelation that Correa, the greatest player on this free agent market, presumed $300 million man and likely big-market attraction opted for Minnesota Nice on a three-year deal that includes a pair of opt-outs serves as a reminder that no player is truly off limits, no market too small to do massive things, no dream too bold.
Oh, the Twins will remain something of an off-Broadway destination, but after a collective bargaining firefight that, 1994-style, aimed to pit big against small and how the latter is hopeless minus restraints on the former, Correa’s $105.3 million pact shows everyone has room to maneuver.
Are big contracts an albatross for smaller-market clubs?
The Twins just deftly moved the biggest free agent in their history, Josh Donaldson, to the Yankees and probably got better in the process.
Will Steve Cohen ruin life as we know it?
The Mets can only employ one shortstop, and Francisco Lindor is already getting paid $341 million. Is mid-market aggression good? Consider the mood in the Twins clubhouse Saturday morning.
“I can say something I’m 100% sure of: I love him,” says slugger Miguel Sano.
Just a reminder: Talent is talent, and things like deadlines and thresholds and other roadblocks placed to suppress player movement are highly arbitrary, largely phony and always flexible.
Correa’s agreement came in concert with Nick Castellanos’ agreement on a $100 million deal with Philadelphia, after his old club in Cincy didn’t much try to retain him and proceeded to dump more talent this past week.
Is Philly a big market? It is.
Is the luxury tax a consideration? Looks like it won’t be for a long, long time.
Castellanos’ deal marks the fourth consecutive offseason that Phillis owner John Middleton made a nine-figure commitment, joining Harper ($330 million before the 2019 season), pitcher Zack Wheeler ($118 million, 2020) and catcher J.T. Realmuto, who re-signed for $115.5 million in January 2021. It sent the Phillies soaring past the $230 million luxury tax threshold, but hey, there’s a hedge fund billionaire up I-95 they need to compete with.
Bottom line: There are plenty of ways to win. The Tampa Bay Rays may very well still be favored in the AL East, and they have possibly the gam’s next great player, Wander Franco, under control through potentially 2033.
It’s a great game, still. And after a grim winter followed by this unprecedented spring, Correa and the Twins proved it’s accessible to anybody.
All you have to do is try.