The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have signed shortstop Carlos Correa to a three-year contract through the 2024 season.
Correa batted .279 (155-for-555) with 34 doubles, one triple, 26 home runs, 92 RBI, 104 runs scored, 75 walks, a .366 on-base percentage and an .850 OPS in 148 games for the Houston Astros last season. He ranked second among all major league position players with a 7.2 WAR per Baseball Reference, just behind Marcus Semien’s 7.3. Among all shortstops, Correa was first in walks, second in RBI, third in extra-base hits (61) and fourth in home runs.
The Ponce, Puerto Rico native was selected first overall by the Astros in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and has batted .277 (781-for-2824) with 162 doubles, eight triples, 133 home runs, 489 RBI, 438 runs scored, 347 walks, a .356 on-base percentage and an .837 OPS in 752 career major league games, all with Houston. His 133 career homers through his age-26 season rank fifth all-time among AL/NL shortstops, and his .277/.356/.481 slash line equates to a 127 OPS+ that ranks seventh in that group (minimum 2,000 plate appearances). Correa’s 34.1 career WAR, per Baseball Reference, ranks sixth among major league position players since 2015.
The 2015 American League Rookie of the Year, Correa is a two-time AL All-Star (2017 as a starter and ’21 as a reserve) and won the 2021 Rawlings AL Gold Glove at shortstop as well as the 2021 AL Platinum Glove Award, given annually to the best overall fielder in each league. Last season, he ranked third among all major league fielders with 20 defensive runs saved, per The Fielding Bible, and was sixth among MLB shortstops in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric (plus-12).
The 27-year-old has appeared in 79 career Postseason games, batting .272 (82-for-301) with 16 doubles, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, 30 walks, 37 runs scored, a .344 on-base percentage and an .849 OPS. He ranks sixth on baseball’s all-time list in Postseason RBI and tied for seventh in home runs, matching Nelson Cruz and Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle.
To make room for Correa on the 40-man roster, the Twins have designated right-handed pitcher Ralph Garza Jr. for release or assignment. Garza Jr. appeared in two games for the Twins this spring, working 1.0 scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
(info courtesy of Twins)