With the 2022 season coming to a close in late September and his return to free agency nothing more than a formality, Carlos Correa offered up a quote to Twins reporters that seemed to define the impending pursuit.
When shopping at the Dior store (or for Carlos Correa), always check the fine details
The well-known quote from the Twins shortstop takes on a different life after the circuitous nature of his free agency.
January 10, 2023 at 11:21PM
"When I go to the mall, and I go to the Dior store, when I want something, I get it. I ask how much it costs, and I buy it," Correa said at the time. "If you really want something, you just go get it. I'm the product here. If they want my product, they've just got to come get it."
The Giants, nearly a month ago, were the embodiment of that sentiment. They agreed with Correa on a 13-year, $350 million deal that was poised to make the shortstop well-paid into his 40s.
But the Giants also did something important. Just as you shouldn't rush into a major purchase at an expensive boutique like Dior without being certain and reading the fine print, nor should you commit to that sort of contract without being sure what you are getting.
The Dior web site lists a number of types of items on which sales are final, including furs, fine jewelry and sale merchandise.
Baseball contracts are fully guaranteed once signed, and the Giants found enough of a red flag in Correa's medical history to walk away from the deal. The Mets swooped in for 12 years and $315 million, but that deal also ultimately fell apart because of the medical history.
Now it's the Twins turn to decide whether the risk is worth the reward, as La Velle E. Neal III and I talked about on a special edition of the Daily Delivery podcast Tuesday.
The Twins can't afford to miss on a contract like this, and the fact that the Mets and obscenely wealthy owner Steve Cohen ultimately walked away from Correa is a red flag.
The risk is somewhat diminished by the updated terms of the deal — six years, $200 million, pending a physical with the Twins — but it is still real.
If Correa is relatively healthy and productive for the vast majority of the next six years, it should prove to be a wise move.
But they should take their time with that physical examination. You can't return something you bought on sale at the Dior store, and there's no undoing a bargain $200 million deal once it's signed.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
