Why surprising signings make a ton of sense
PHOENIX — When the smoke cleared and the lockout ended, you could have made a small fortune if you put down money that that two of the biggest stars in the game would wind up with the Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins.
Kris Bryant is a Rockie, signing a seven eight-year, $182 million contract.
Carlos Correa is a Twin, agreeing to a three-year, $105.3 million deal.
And the baseball world has completely turned upside down.
When the new CBA was signed with Major League Baseball vowing it would help competitive balance, who in their right mind thought it meant that the Rockies and Twins would be spending more than the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox?
Sure, these two teams have plenty of money and still won’t come close to sniffing the $230 million luxury tax, but it’s hardly as if Correa and Bryant are joining juggernauts.
The last time the Twins won a playoff game, Correa was 10 years old.
The last time the Rockies were in the World Series, Bryant was 15 years old.
Now, they represent the two most stunning free-agent signings not only this winter, but perhaps going back to 2003 when future Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez signed with the 119loss Detroit Tigers.
The Twins, in a slick covert operation, landed the biggest free agent in franchise history, managing to keep their interest in Correa eerily quiet.
There wasn’t a single peep they were negotiating or had remotely any interest in the top free agent on the market.
Sure, everyone knew that the market was drying up for Correa, and he wasn’t going to get his $350 million contract to top Francisco Lindor’s deal with the New York Mets, but it was assumed he’d simply get a lucrative short-term contract with opt-outs to hit the market again.
But come on, not the Twins.
The deal could be perfect for Correa. He will earn the largest yearly salary by an infielder in baseball history at $35.1 million a year, with opt-out clauses after the first two seasons.
It was important to Correa to be the highest-paid infielder, so the contract pays him $100,000 more a year than Anthony Rendon of the Los Angeles Angels.
Correa will be playing in a bigger ballpark in Minneapolis, but the Twins were high on his list of free-agent options, thanks to his love affair at Target Field. He has a 1.205 OPS at Target Field, hitting .413 with a .762 slugging percentage, and five homers with 20 RBI in 15 regular season games – plus another homer in the playoffs.
“He knew after the lockout it was going to be hard to get the years he wanted,’’ Astros catcher Martin Maldonado told Houston reporters in camp. “Overall, he’s betting on himself again. I know he’s going to go out there and have a monster year, and hopefully go back to free agency and achieved that goal of a 10-year deal.’’
He should be completely relaxed with his biggest concern trying to keep warm on those frosty days in April.
It should work out quite nicely for the Twins, too.
They get one of the game’s biggest superstars for a year and if he departs as expected, they’ll have their prized prospect Royce Lewis taking over.
The Twins, according to people directly involved with the negotiations, showed no interest in Correa until last Monday when they traded third baseman Josh Donaldson to the New York Yankees. The Twins saved about $42 million in the deal, and although they had been engaged in negotiations with free agent Trevor Story, they quickly pivoted to Correa.
Correa, who had been offered a fiveyear, $160 million contract from the Houston Astros before the lockout, never bothered to engage with him this past week.
The wedding between Correa and the Twins should satisfy each other’s needs for at least a year. The Twins, who finished last season with a 73-89 record, last in the AL Central, believe that Correa can turn them around and are still trying to acquire starter Frankie Montas or starter Sean Manaea from the Oakland A’s.
If Correa leads the Twins to the playoffs and has a big season, he will be
laughing all of the way to the bank.
Bryant, 30, had different aspirations. He had no interest in a short-term deal. He wanted at least a seven-year deal that would keep him in one place for the rest of his career.
The Philadelphia Phillies were interested, but they didn’t want to go past five years.
Seattle expressed early interest. The San Francisco Giants waited to see if he’d fall through the cracks.
The Rockies were the only team that showed constant and intense interest, never wavering. They kept pushing and pushing until Bryant finally said yes.
Were there any other teams involved at all?
“When I go to a wedding,’’ agent Scott Boras said, “I don’t talk about the bridesmaids.’’
Yet, as odd as this union seems at first glance, this should be a beautiful relationship for Bryant. He becomes the face of the franchise in a sports town that is much more forgiving than the East Coast. If Bryant takes an 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, he’ll still be cheered. If the Rockies lose 90 games, it’s “let’s get ‘em next year.’’
Denver will love Bryant and his quiet and humble demeanor.
And Bryant will love the city right back.
“Colorado definitely fits my personality,” Bryant said. “It’s always been a favorite of me and my family. I’m looking forward to raising my family there and winning a lot of games with the Rockies.”
Well, he might have to endure a few more losing seasons in the near future.
“I take a lot of pride in the fact that I have never played on a losing team in the big leagues,’’ Bryant said, “and I don’t plan on doing that here. …
“In Chicago, we brought a championship there. They lost for a long time and now it’s a winning culture and I really hope to bring that here, too.”
If nothing else, Bryant has found peace and quiet in the Rocky Mountains, and if a playoff run happens along the way, it’s a bonus.
“I think it’s the perfect place for him,’’ Boras said. “He loves Colorado, loves playing in that ballpark, and the fit was there for a long-term contract.
“He had his choices, but this is where he wanted to be all along.’’