MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa will be back at Target Field this spring after all.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal were the first to report the All-Star shortstop struck a six-year, $200 million deal to return to the Minnesota Twins. The Twins themselves announced that they have come to terms with Correa on Wednesday morning, adding that the six-year deal is guaranteed with additional options potentially covering the 2029-2032 seasons. Those additional seasons would be triggered by Correa hitting certain performance incentives.
"He's Home," the team tweeted Wednesday morning.
"I’m happy to be here in Minnesota, I'm happy to be a Twin," Correa said at a press conference Wednesday to officially announce his new contract. "We started something special last year. There is some more work to be done. I wanna bring a championship back to the city. And that's what we're going to work for."
At the press conference, Correa addressed one of the biggest questions: the status of his ankle following a 2014 injury that led the Giants and Mets to express concern about results of his physical.
"I learned throughout the process that doctors have difference of opinions," Correa said. "It was shocking to me because since I had that surgery, I never missed a game."
Correa said multiple doctors have told him he’s in "great shape" and the ankle is good to go.
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KARE 11 Sports Director Reggie Wilson confirmed earlier Wednesday morning that a deal with the Twins was finalized after Correa passed his physical.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, Correa wrote there were "A lot of emotions involved throughout the whole process but always believed that at the end of the day God will put me in the right place."
"I’m so happy and excited to be back home with my extended family, the Minnesota @twins."
The Twins' signing of Correa is the latest twist in the ongoing offseason drama surrounding the superstar's free agency. On Dec. 14, Correa and the San Francisco Giants reached a 13-year, $350 million dollar deal; however that fell apart a week later, when the New York Mets announced a $315 million, 12-year contract deal.
The Giants were originally planning to introduce Correa as their new shortstop when they suddenly delayed the announcement due to concerns about the previous ankle injury, according to the Associated Press. That delay led to the Mets swooping in with their own offer.
The Associated Press reports the Mets also had concerns about Correa's ankle after a Dec. 22 physical and held off finalizing the agreement while attempting to negotiate protections.
The contract is the biggest so far in an expensive off-season for the Twins, who also signed outfielder Joey Gallo to a one-year, $11 million deal, and catcher Christian Vázquez to a three-year, $30 million contract.
Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was quick to celebrate the news, sharing a tweet and commenting, "And we back!!!"
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