In less than a year, Carlos Correa will return for a second round of Major League Baseball free agency.

The Puerto Rican shortstop spoke to El Nuevo Día on Tuesday night and confirmed that he will opt out of his three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins and return to the market once the World Series ends.

Correa, 28, reached an agreement with the Twins earlier this year with clauses in each of the agreed-upon campaigns to opt out of the deal. In 2022, he earned $35 million, making him the highest-paid shortstop in Major League history.

Minnesota failed to meet expectations, falling out of the postseason. The Twins finished third in the Central Division with a 78-84 record. The Cleveland Guardians took the pennant.

Correa, at the same time, expressed his desire to continue in Minnesota to complete the team´s project to return to the playoffs and aspire to a World Series title.

Correa talked with El Nuevo Día on the phone to discuss his new role as a television commentator in the postseason starting Thursday on TBS. When asked by this newspaper about his future, the Santa Isabel native said - for the first time publicly - that he will seek a new contract, either with the Twins or other teams interested in his services.

“It’s obvious that with the option I have, the structure of my contract, I can opt-out. With the year I had, my health, and being at the peak of my career, at 28, that’s the right decision,” Correa said in a telephone interview from Houston, where he lives.

The 2015 American League Rookie of the Year with the Houston Astros stressed that Minnesota will have the opportunity to talk about a new deal. However, as he said in his Dior brand metaphor a few weeks ago to reporters in Minneapolis, the money on the table will have the final say on his future.

“Their (Minnesota’s) interest and priority are to be able to extend the contract or re-sign me. The coaches, and the players, had a good impact. I am interested in coming back and being with the guys again. But I’ve been around a long time to understand this business and know that what you want doesn’t always happen,” he said.

“My family´s happiness is very important and that is something I also consider,” added Correa, who will be a father again with his wife Daniella Rodríguez. He already has a little boy, Kylo, who will turn one year in November.

Boras plan is on track

Correa reached the multi-year deal with Minnesota after signing with renowned agent Scott Boras in the middle of the last offseason. Last year, Boras got Corey Seager a $325 million, 10-year deal with the Texas Rangers. He also secured a smaller-scale deal in the same team for shortstop Marcus Semien for seven years and $175 million.

Correa, who totals eight seasons in the Majors, is looking for a contract of $300 million or more.

“I talk to Scott weekly, for hours. We’re always on the phone talking about baseball, the games, the numbers, everything. We talked yesterday (Monday) for about two hours. The only thing I can tell you is that he’s very happy and excited about the numbers and the market,” he shared.

The 2017 World Series champion with the Astros will be one of four star shortstops hitting free agency. There’s Trea Turner (Dodgers), Dansby Swanson (Atlanta), and Xander Bogaerts (Boston). Correa noted that he has an advantage over the other three in future negotiations.

“Of the four, I’m the only one who isn’t tied to a qualifying offer because I had one last year. The qualifying offer is worth $50 million to $100 million, depending on where you get selected in the draft. When you don’t have it, you’re saving the team $50 or $100 million. The other three have never been free agents so they’re going to have qualifying offers. The team that signs them loses the pick in the draft, and the team that loses them wins that pick in the draft.

So that’s $50 to $100 million that the team is losing on top of the contract they’re going to pay the player. I don’t have that,” Correa said about the rule.

The qualifying offer entitles teams to draft pick compensation in the event they lose a free agent to another team.

“Some way, it’s a big advantage not having it among all the shortstops who are free agents,” he stressed.

He meets the numbers

Correa finished the season with the Twins hitting a career-best .291 average after 2017 (.315) with 24 homers and 64 RBIs in 136 games. He had an.OPS of .834 and a WAR of 5.4. Last year, he had 7.2.

“When you look at the numbers, offensively, not considering 2017 with what happened (sign-stealing scandal), it was the best year of my career. OPS+ 140, the highest of my career. WRC+ 140, is the highest of my career. I led all shortstops in.OPS, OPS+, and wRC+. A 5.4 WAR. Top among shortstops, despite missing 30 games. You know WAR fluctuates the more you play. About 30 games equal about 1.5 WAR. So the season, as such, was spectacular,” he summed up.

“I talked to Scott and he’s too happy with the season. People look at the overall numbers and say ‘ah, Correa hit 22 home runs when he hit 26 last year.’ But, you don’t compare numbers to past numbers because years change. In 2019, with juiced balls, you hit more. You always compare yourself to the league. This year, the.OPS was the lowest in the majors. I think it was at .706. When you compare yourself to the league, you know. In 2019, it was at .770, that’s .65 points more, my best offensive year. When I compare myself to the other shortstops, the lead in the main stats are wRC+ and .OPS+, well it was a great year and I’m very happy to go into free agency with those numbers,” he detailed.

In 2019, a 27-page MLB study indicated that the balls were not intentionally altered. According to the report, the spherical seams produced much less resistance. The conclusion was that it was due to normal manufacturing variability.

Injuries derailed Minnesota

Correa wasn’t the only one to miss a dozen games this year with the Twins. Star outfielder Byron Buxton, the leading scorer, did not play more than 100 games (92). The team’s number one prospect, Royce Lewis, ended up in surgery after his successful debut. Nearly the entire rotation (Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Chris Archer, Chris Paddack, and Tommy Mahle) was on the injured list at some point.

This week, the team fired athletic trainer Michael Salazar after having players injured for a total of 1,573 days.

Minnesota was first in its division 108 of 182 days during the season and, until September 4, was tied for first place with pennant-winning Cleveland.

“We were on our way to having a great year as a team. We finished the half in first place after more than 100 games in the first half. Then, I don’t know what happened. A ‘virus,’ a ‘bacteria’ or something, some witchcraft with 20 guys on the injured list. When our best two ballplayers were down for a couple of months, that’s when our season completely changed. We had depth in Triple-A, but even that depth got hurt. We didn’t end up with the team of us playing and that’s what burned us in the end,” he summarized.

Puerto Ricans José Miranda (first base), Jovani Moran (pitcher), and Jorge López (closer), who arrived via trade on the last trade deadline are also in Minnesota.

That desire to be able to compete in Minnesota with a healthy team has Correa looking forward to returning if they open their wallet to keep him.

“Whoever wants me, wherever the market dictates, that’s where I play. Hopefully, it will happen in Minnesota, which is my current team and a team that I have a lot of affection and respect for. I loved playing there. But, as I said, you don’t always get what you want,” he concluded.

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