For Carlos Correa, it was an offseason that sounded like a scripted movie — his own personal Groundhog Day.
It all began with a canceled introductory press conference with the San Francisco Giants that turned into a sequence of worrisome physicals, an agreement with the New York Mets, and eventually returning to his former Minnesota Twins on a six-year deal.
After the series of unfortunate events, Correa had time to reflect on it all.
“Feels great to just feel good physically and feel healthy and go out there and hit the ball and run, and just cherish every moment out there on the field,” the shortstop told MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park. “If I learned something this offseason, it’s that I realized that one day, I’m not going to be able to play anymore. That might be when I’m 40. That might be when I’m 45. You never know. You’ve just got to enjoy every single moment that you spend on the baseball field.”
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Following the Mets’ injury concerns, nobody knew where Correa would end up, him included.
Before he landed the $200,000,000 deal with the Twins, he had agreements with the Giants for 13 years, $350,000,000, and with the Mets, the monetary value was at 12 years, $315,000,000.
Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, who’s never been a man of few words, had plenty to say about the saga.
“I don’t understand the Mets,” Boras told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in January. “I gave them all of the information. We had them talk to four doctors. They knew the issue the Giants had. And yet, they still call the same doctor the Giants used for his opinion. There was no new information. So why negotiate a contract if you were going to rely on the same doctor?
“It was different with the Giants because a doctor had an opinion they didn’t know about. But the Mets had notice of this. They knew the opinion of the Giants. So why did you negotiate when you know this thing in advance?”
It was a lot of agreed-upon money in the offseason.
That was a thing of the past, now. Correa, a two-time All-Star and former American League Rookie of the Year was ready to get a fresh start with his former team. Taking on more of a leadership role.
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“They trust me. I’ve been in an organization that was built from the ground up, from losing 111 games to being a dynasty,” he added. “This is what I want for this organization.”
The dynasty could happen with the years he promised the organization, but Correa will always be the man behind one of the most exciting and bizarre free agent years in the history of the game.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.