Could Carlos Correa eventually move to third base for Twins?

With the signing of Carlos Correa this week, the Twins' two-decade history of searching for a shortstop — 14 different Opening Day starters in the past 19 seasons — finally ended this year.

Or did it?

Yes, Correa is virtually certain to jog out to his usual spot when the Twins' open the season in March. But the Twins noted that Correa, upon accepting a 12-year contract offer with the Mets that eventually was withdrawn, agreed to vacate, in deference to incumbent Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, the only defensive position he has ever played in his 1,191 games as a professional.

So could Correa eventually move to third base?

"He profiles exceptionally well at third base on a lot of levels," said Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, citing Correa's arm strength, lateral movement and good footwork. "I'm not saying he's eager to do that tomorrow. He's a great shortstop and he expects to be for a long time."

Still, the 28-year-old Correa is going to be a Twin for at least six more seasons, and perhaps as many as 10. Few shortstops retain the athleticism to play shortstop beyond their early 30s.

"With any premium middle-of-the-diamond player 10 years out, even though [Correa] is younger than most, you are always thinking, 'What could happen next? Could [he] go to third? Could [he] go to first? Will he finish at DH?' " Falvey said.

One expert on Correa's skills believes that move is inevitable: Correa himself.

"He said as much. … He is an [assistant general manager] in some ways, right? Like the way he thinks about the future progression, and valuation, and where he could shift," said Falvey, who drafted shortstops Royce Lewis No. 1 overall in 2017 and Brooks Lee at No. 8 last summer. "He thinks about those things. So he almost puts himself in our shoes and says, like, 'Well as I age and, if I'm a little less quick laterally, I can move to third because I'm in the 70th percentile of like arm strength.' "

On the other hand, Lewis, coming off two knee surgeries, could be a candidate for a move, too, or perhaps either Lewis or Lee could someday supplant Jorge Polanco at second base.

Correa is the second shortstop acquired by the Twins this offseason. Falvey traded away Class AA righthander Casey Legumina in November to acquire Kyle Farmer, the Reds' regular shortstop the past two seasons.

Farmer, 32, will still get plenty of playing time, Falvey said, but only occasionally at shortstop.

"He's played left, he's played right. He's played third base, he's played second, he's played short," Falvey pointed out of the six-year veteran, who homered 30 times over the past two seasons. "That [type of] player tends to be valuable."