It was a balmy March evening in Minneapolis. With temperatures reaching above zero for the first time in weeks, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were celebrating the end of the MLB lockout. The Minnesota Twins’ brain trust had just disposed of Josh Donaldson’s contract and were sitting there with extra money to spend. With most of the top names in free agency gone, Falvey and Levine were stunned when they saw Chris Archer was still available.
Then in the distance came this sound, and it grew louder. A group of people appeared over the horizon, and they were marching their way to Minneapolis! Carlos Correa led his band made entirely of shiny, round percussion instruments into Target Field. He and his agent Scott Boras made the Twins an offer they couldn’t refuse.
I heard you guys want to win a championship, Correa beamed. I’m the guy that can help you do it.
Levine and Falvey couldn’t believe their luck as this 6.0 WAR player had just landed on their doorstep. He promised to take the Twins – losers of 18 straight playoff games – and make them into a contender. All they had to do was give him a lucrative short-term contract (with annual opt-outs, of course).
Correa signed on the dotted line and did everything to make it work. His smile was just as blinding as his World Series ring. He spoke to everyone like they were long-lost friends. He proclaimed that Juicy Lucys were the best burger in the world and that the Minnesota State Fair was the greatest of them all!
There was no way he was ever going to leave…until he departed in the middle of the night.
When Twins fans woke up on Wednesday morning, nothing had changed from when Correa signed. Minnesota’s postseason losing streak is still standing, and the Twins couldn’t make the playoffs, even with Correa on the roster. The lack of excitement was palpable, and everyone was left in the cold, wondering if they had just been duped.
This shouldn’t be a surprise as Correa didn’t deliver the bag of goods he promised. Sure, he hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 64 RBI. He also provided several excellent defensive plays that showed why he’s a former Platinum Glove winner. But when it comes to Correa’s tenure in Minnesota, it fell woefully short of expectations.
He started off slow, hitting .243/.309/.633 in 19 games during the season’s opening months. However, he turned it on in May and June as the Twins cleaned up on the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland Athletics. When the Twins started to slide in the standings, Correa hit .175/.264/.350 in July. He wasn’t great with runners in scoring position, hitting .277/.364/.366 with one home run in 121 plate appearances.
Correa showed up in September and October, hitting .355/.412/.589 with seven homers and 19 RBI in 31 games. Suddenly, the pressure was on to sign Correa to a long-term contract. He even laid it on thick, comparing himself to a Dior belt in a land that prefers to shop at Target.
By that point, Correa had set out exactly what he wanted. He didn’t want to be a long-term member of the Twins unless it meant a large big payday. While the Twins reportedly offered him ten years, $285 million, it was never going to top what a team like the San Francisco Giants could offer. Correa said goodbye to his beloved cheat day meal and set out for sushi by the bay.
Before we make the Twins out as victims in this story, they also deserve some blame. The Twins fell in love with the idea of Correa instead of giving themselves an honest evaluation. They saw a player who could sell jerseys, t-shirts, and koozies while representing the organization in a positive light. They indicated that Correa was the piece to turn everything around, yet they did nothing to change themselves.
It started in spring training when they relied on Archer as a late signing to solidify the back end of the rotation. Archer was a pitcher that did fine in the first two trips through the rotation, but his performance and stamina kept him from going deep into games.
The Twins also made a last-second trade to acquire another starter and a key bullpen arm to get them over the hump. Unfortunately, Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán also fell incredibly short of expectations.
The trade deadline arrived, and the Twins scrambled for help but forgot to Google Tyler Mahle’s injury history. Jorge López and Michael Fulmer fell apart; the Twins faded down the stretch. They had just wasted a year with one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
Perhaps the Twins were banking on Correa falling in love with the city and deciding to make it his home. But it was probably foolish, given they had to know what bigger-market teams would offer him.
Minnesota’s massive offer was a step in the right direction, but it also ignored the problem. Although a rash of injuries around him was partly to blame, Correa never made the impact that many thought he would until it was too late. The late surge helped him get the contract he had coveted before signing with the Twins, and the front office was left to face the music.
