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Shortstop Carlos Correa on whirlwind offseason: I never stopped talking to the Twins
Star shortstop Carlos Correa tells Jim Rich that he never stopped talking to the Twins over a whirlwind offseason, during he which he saw two major deals fall through. Now, back in Minnesota and he feels fate brought him back to the Twins.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a revolving door offseason, that left the star shortstop returning to Minnesota after losing out on two massive free agency deals, Carlos Correa spoke with Fox 9 Sports Director Jim Rich for his first one-on-one sit-down interview Sunday night on Fox 9 Sports Now.
As the 2022 regular season came to an end, Correa told FOX 9 what it would take to keep the Platinum Glove winner and former World Series champ in Minnesota. The answer: Money.
In the offseason, he reportedly was offered a record 13-year, $350 million deal from the San Francisco Giants and a 12-year, $315 million offer from the New York Mets. However, both teams backed away from the deals after concerns about Correa's ankle came to light during physicals, stemming from an injury early in his career. After all that, Correa ended back up in Minnesota on a six-year, $200 million deal.
"We never stopped talking to the Twins after the Mets fell through," Correa tells FOX 9. "I told Scott I want to go back and play with my boys."
Correa says, despite the discussions with other teams, he never lost sight of the Twins.
"You know, free agency is such a long, tough process," said Correa. "And, you know, when I first I agreed with the Giants, they offered me a record-breaking deal. And, you know, then I moved on to the Mets because it was like 'oh we're nice' and we worked it out right away. But even before we signed with the Mets, we talked with the Twins. And, you know, they wanted to talk to the front office and restructure a contract. And the Mets just jumped in right away. But the way I see it is God put me here for a reason, in this organization for a reason. And I'm very happy that I'm back here. And I'm going to do everything I can to help this organization get back on the map and get back on the winning ways of winning championships."
As for how the fans will respond to his return, Correa says only one thing matters: Are they winning?
"I remember when I showed up in 2015 to Houston and there were not a lot of fans in the stands," he recalls. "And then we start winning and then we start winning playoff games. Then we start winning titles. And, you know, the stands were packed every single day. So that's what I'm looking forward to here in Minnesota. You know, last year we were not as packed up as we would like to be but we got to win first and then for the fans to go out there and show up and support the team."
Correa was in town over the weekend, along with several other players and members of the organization, for TwinsFest at the Fillmore Hotel and Target Field.
Hit play to see the full interview with Correa.