Report: Carlos Correa Opts Out of Contract with Minnesota Twins, Will Become Free Agent

Prior to the 2022 season, Carlos Correa signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins. Only three years in length, it was one of the shorter contracts handed out in recent years to a superstar player of his caliber.

Given such a short deal, it's reasonable that such deal had many clauses, intended to keep the contract to a minimum should Correa continue to play at a high level. 

Officially a three-year, $105.3 million deal, it included opt-outs after both the first and second years, and now, Correa has exercised that opt-out, according to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia.

He will again be a free agent for the second year running, after posting the second highest OPS+ of his career, 140. While his defensive quality may have diminished slightly, he's still one of the leagues' best, worth 5.4 bWAR during 2022.

Among a free agent class heavily populated with superstar shortstops like Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Xander Boegarts, Correa may have been better off waiting another year for the supply to dwindle and the demand to rise. But at age-28 going into the 2023 season, his value also decreases as the season go by.

The former Houston Astro will likely look to sign earlier this offseason than he did last year, consummating his deal on Mar. 19, but the Astros won't be his final destination. 

With Jeremy Peña having solidified the 'shortstop of the future' mantra, Correa's home no longer resides in Houston, but he'll undoubtedly have a litany of suitors lined up begging for his services.

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