'We want to build a championship culture': Carlos Correa officially joins Minnesota Twins
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins’ biggest splash of free agency became official earlier this week, and Carlos Correa was introduced as the team’s newest shortstop Wednesday morning from Spring Training in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Twins and Correa agreed to terms early Sunday morning. Correa then traveled to the Twins’ facility and went through a physical and medical evaluation before meeting his new teammates. The move makes the Twins one of the strongest teams in the American League up the middle for the 2022 season. Ryan Jeffers and Gary Sanchez will share catching duties, Jorge Polanco is moving back to second base and Byron Buxton will be in center field. Correa and Buxton were the top two picks in the 2012 MLB Draft, and now they’re teammates.
The move to land Correa was made possible after the Twins traded star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the New York Yankees, shedding the remaining $50 million on his contract. Still, that Correa chose the Twins and that they agreed to a three-year contract shook the baseball world. It had fans equally stunned and excited waking up to the news Sunday morning.
Correa was joined at Wednesday’s news conference by his agent, Scott Boras, and Twins’ President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, among others.
"Carlos had a lot of choices, as he should. He’s one of the best players in our game," Falvey said. "For him to choose Minnesota, to join the Twins’ family is just really special. He’s a World Series champion."
Correa came to the Twins for one reason: He wants to win championships. He won a World Series in 2017 with the Houston Astros, is a two-time All-Star and was the 2015 Rookie of the Year. He’s had five seasons of at least 20 home runs, and last year, hit .279 with 26 homers, 34 doubles and 92 RBIs in 148 games. He also had a .850 on base plus slugging percentage.
He's also one of the best defensive players in the game.
"When we talked on the Zoom call, we only talked about winning. That’s what we want to build here, we want to build a championship culture," Correa said. "We want to win divisions, win championships, that’s my goal here."
The process to get Correa to Minnesota started with a Zoom call Friday night. Correa was at his home with his wife and newborn son, and Boras. The virtual meeting was with Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli, GM Thad Levine and Falvey. Correa’s wife also joined the call. They talked for a little more than two hours and by the time it was over, his mind was made up.
"Before I got on the Zoom call, my wife was breastfeeding our baby and I said ‘Babe, it might be a big chance that we’re going to Minnesota. She got on the Zoom call for a little bit. I talked to Rocco, talked to Derek and Thad. They made me feel like this was the place for me to be," Correa said. "When I got off the Zoom call, I told Scott ‘Let’s make it happen.’ I told my wife to start packing, we’re going to Minnesota."
Correa felt comfortable with the Twins, and he really likes hitting at Target Field. He’s got a career 1.200 on base plus slugging percentage at his new home. He’ll be switching jerseys from No. 1 to No. 4.
"The Twins have a new explosive weapon: C4," Boras said.
"New chapter, new number," Correa said.
His message to his new teammates? Do everything with a purpose.
"For me the advice is to just go out there and when we practice, we’re searching for perfection. Every infield we take, every round of BP we take, every rep we take in the cage, we’re working with a purpose," Correa said. "That’s what I want to preach to the guys here, don’t work through the motions if you want to be an elite defender, you have to practice how you play in the game."
The Twins needed a jolt, coming off a 73-win season. They're not known for signing big-time free agents, which changed when they signed Nelson Cruz in 2019, and Donaldson in 2020. Fans are still coming to grips with Correa sporting a Twins jersey, in disbelief that it actually happened.
The Twins haven’t won a playoff game since 2004, a streak that’s now at 18 straight losses. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2002. The hope is adding a World Series champion like Correa to the clubhouse will change that.
They got that jolt, signing one of the biggest stars in the game and arguably the best shortstop in the game. The team has sold more than 100,00 single-game, group tickets and Twins Passes since Correa's signing. Now it's up to the Twins to be contenders again.
"I want to take on the challenge. It was not long ago I was playing for an organization that was last in the big leagues, the year before I got there. I know what it takes to build a championship culture within the clubhouse and all the way up to the front office. I see that here," Correa said.