The Twins are dealing with tight payroll restrictions this offseason as they appear to enhance after narrowly lacking the playoffs due to a brutal collapse again in September. With the membership’s funds for 2025 reportedly set at $130MM and a payroll that RosterResource at the moment initiatives at $142MM, it’s hardly a secret that the membership figures to make trades that may shed payroll this winter. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune, that’s led some golf equipment to inquire with the Twins concerning the availability of star shortstop Carlos Correa. Whereas Nightengale goes on to emphasise that there’s been no indication these inquiries have develop into extra severe than a preliminary cellphone name, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey nonetheless addressed the potential of a Correa commerce throughout Day 1 of the Winter Conferences on Monday.
“Clearly, you count on groups to name on gamers like that, particularly with the place we’re and among the conversations we’re having with different golf equipment,” Falvey mentioned of Correa, as relayed by Nightengale. “However we wish to win, so a excessive bar is ready.”
That’s a notable change in tone from final month, when Falvey emphasised {that a} Correa commerce wasn’t one thing the membership was “centered on” and known as Correa a “key” a part of the membership’s plans alongside Byron Buxton and Pablo Lopez. Even so, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported Monday that a number of sources with the Twins indicated that it’s “onerous to ascertain” the membership parting with Correa. Provided that obvious reluctance to deal their star shortstop and the apparently extraordinarily preliminary nature of inquiries into his availability, it nonetheless appears extra seemingly than not that Correa will stay in a Twins uniform for Opening Day 2025.
With that being mentioned, the concept of a Correa commerce is actually intriguing. Correa’s latest historical past has been extraordinarily tumultuous. After signing with Minnesota on a short-term deal through the 2021-22 offseason, Correa re-entered free company the next yr after a robust platform season and reached agreements with each the Giants and Mets earlier than these offers in the end fell by attributable to medical considerations. That led Correa to re-up with the Twins on his present deal, which requires him to $128MM over the subsequent 4 seasons earlier than a collection of 4 staff choices that Correa can vest into assured years by reaching sure plate look thresholds or incomes a top-5 MVP end, a Silver Slugger award, or an LCS/World Sequence MVP award within the season previous to the choice.
Correa’s complicated contract additionally comes with a full no-trade clause, which means that he must approve of any deal that shipped him out of Minnesota. Additional complicating any commerce talks involving Correa is his up-and-down efficiency since re-signing within the Twin Cities; the shortstop’s 2023 season noticed him submit simply 1.8 fWAR and a 95 wRC+ in a full workload of 135 video games as he performed by plantar fasciitis. His efficiency bounced again to its earlier spectacular degree in 2024 as he hit .310/.388/.517 with a 155 wRC+, however plantar fasciitis as soon as once more hobbled him and restricted the shortstop to simply 86 video games. General, the 30-year-old has hit .261/.341/.444 (119 wRC+) in 221 video games over the previous two seasons.
Given Correa’s tantalizing worth when wholesome, it’s simple to think about not less than some high-revenue golf equipment being prepared to gamble on his contract. That’s clearly not going to be sufficient to get a deal achieved, nonetheless, as Falvey has made clear that he isn’t all for merely dealing Correa for the sake of wage aid. Even when Correa had been prepared to waive his no-trade clause to depart Minnesota, it’s unclear if golf equipment could be prepared to half methods with the form of bundle that might entice Falvey to make a deal in an effort to land him. Whereas the membership has 2022 first-rounder Brooks Lee as an possibility doubtlessly able to taking up shortstop within the occasion that Correa is traded, he struggled to a .221/.265/.320 slash line in his first style of massive league motion and will not be prepared for an on a regular basis job to begin the 2025 season.
With the obvious unlikelihood of a Correa deal coming collectively in thoughts, it nonetheless appears as if the Twins must shed wage someplace. To that finish, Nightengale highlights utility man Willi Castro, right-hander Chris Paddack, and catcher Christian Vazquez as “apparent commerce candidates,” although he means that not one of the three would convey again a lot of significance in return past wage aid. It’s not the primary time that trio has come up as potential commerce candidates this winter, but when the Twins managed to clear all three of them off the books totally that might release a mixed estimate of $23.7MM utilizing the $6.2MM projection of Castro’s remaining journey by arbitration provided by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
If Minnesota had been capable of release all of that cash, they’d seemingly have round $10.5MM to put money into different areas of the roster. To that finish, Nightengale notes that Falvey described including a primary baseman “has some enchantment” with Carlos Santana having elected free company final month, and {that a} right-handed complement to lefty outfielders Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach might additionally make loads of sense for a membership that misplaced Manuel Margot to free company in November as properly. Ramon Laureano, Mark Canha, and Austin Hays are among the many attention-grabbing funds choices obtainable on the right-handed outfield market, whereas Santana is joined by the likes of Josh Bell, Anthony Rizzo, and Paul Goldschmidt within the decrease tiers of the primary base market this winter.
