Yankees, Mets should test Twins’ waters for possible Carlos Correa trade

The Mets failed Carlos Correa on a physical less than two years ago. Correa was a prominent member of the 2017 Astros, the team most repugnant to the Yankees and their fans.

So, of course, I want to make a case why the Mets and Yankees should do what I strongly suspect they would never consider — ignore his cost (kind of), his injury history (sort of) and ties to the Astros (Yankees issue), and at least call the Twins and find out if they would trade Correa, and if he would agree to play third base.

“If they came at us, we’re open-minded to anything,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “Obviously Carlos has a full no-trade clause. We love him. We’re always open-minded when team teams hit us on all of our players. We’ve been hit on Carlos before, we’ve been hit on Byron [Buxton] before, we’ve been hit on Royce [Lewis] before. That’s not shocking to anybody, but we hold an extremely high bar to even start that conversation, and I still feel like those guys are critical to our success.”

Why should the Twins consider this:

Structurally, the Twins don’t work. Their three key positional pieces — Correa, Buxton and Lewis — are injury prone. The trio started together just 26 times last year. Keeping that nucleus intact leaves Minnesota too vulnerable to playing too often without one or more of them. Correa and Buxton combined to play in just 23 of the final 39 games last season as the Twins went 12-27 and collapsed out of a playoff spot.

Financially, the Twins don’t work well. The Twins, with uncertainty about their local TV deal, slashed payroll about $30 million in 2024 to around $125 million and plan to be roughly at that level this year. But they signed Correa at a $33.3 million average for six years with the belief that payrolls would be $150 million-ish or more. Correa, Buxton and Pablo Lopez will represent nearly 60 percent of the payroll, and Correa, at $36 million in ’24, will represent nearly 30 percent by himself.

What complicates matters is that the Twins are for sale with a resolution not expected soon. So the organization must contemplate if a buyer would be happier with a famous player like Correa on the books or as much of his four years at $128 million due off of them?

Here is an obvious: Correa’s remaining contract and dubious durability — let’s call it a probable 120-ish games a year — works far better with a team like those in New York with a $300 million-ish payroll to work around it than a $120 million-ish allotment.

If Correa were a free agent now, he would have difficulty replicating four years at $128 million. So the contract is under water. Thus, the Twins would have to do a trade similar to, say, what the Marlins once had to do with the Yankees to move Giancarlo Stanton — accept back the bad contract of Starlin Castro as a slight counterweight and receive two lottery-ticket-type prospects. The key element would be not just the lottery tickets, but the financial flexibility to use whatever money is saved to diversify with multiple players.

So why should the New York teams be interested? Correa failed physicals following the 2022 season after agreeing at 13 years at $350 million with the Giants and 12 years at $315 million with the Mets. Correa suffered a devastating lower right leg injury in 2014 in the minors that left him with a metal plate. He has been on the IL each of the past two seasons with plantar fasciitis, in his left foot in 2023 and right foot this year. He manages a chronic back condition.

The answer: Because at the right price, a risk is worth it for the right player. The Twins, for whom Correa had played in 2022 before heading back out into free agency, were comfortable enough with their more limited resources to sign Correa to a six-year, $200 million pact that also has four option years at $70 million based on full-time play via 500-plus plate appearances.

And don’t forget, the Mets amended their offer to six years at $157 million before Correa went to the Twins. Thus, not far different from where Correa is now, especially if as part of a trade Minnesota had to absorb the two years at $33.5 million due Jeff McNeill or the one year at $19 million owed Starling Marte — or both if the Mets put in a better class of prospects.

Correa already had agreed to play third base next to his friend, Francisco Lindor. Here’s a question: Are the Mets better with Correa at third and Mark Vientos at first for the next at least four years, or Vientos at third and Pete Alonso at first?

Look, I really admire Correa. I think one reason the Astros have owned the Yankees — beyond stolen signals — is the feel for the game that Correa (before he left), Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman brought to the game, along with their overt skills. It permeated a whole team.

Ask anyone who has played with Correa and they will rave about his baseball IQ. His fearlessness in big spots (18 homers/.860 OPS in the postseason). His willingness to confront teammates who are not playing correctly. This is a guy who demanded that candy be taken out of the Twins’ food room because it emphasized lack of seriousness around conditioning, and he helped Minnesota officials upgrade their advanced scouting procedures to more align with what he knew frontline organizations were doing.

How badly do the Yankees need exactly these qualities — particularly in the areas of baseball IQ and internal willingness to take on players making the same fundamental mistakes repeatedly? Would it be worth taking on risk to get it, especially if the Twins absorb either DJ LeMahieu’s two years at $30 million (he has a complete no-trade and can refuse to go) and/or the one year at $18 million owed Marcus Stroman (he can trigger $18 million in 2026 with 140 innings in ’25).

Correa was willing to play third next to an established star in Lindor. Would he do so for Anthony Volpe or demand that he stay at short and Volpe go to second? The sales pitch should be that third has less demand on the legs and could preserve Correa better — and in the Yankees universe, that would move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second.

People who have played with Correa will tell you he is obsessed with winning and trying to make the Hall of Fame — both clearer shots with a New York team, especially if the Twins suggest that his contract at their current payroll will lead to at least a soft rebuild — a message to not use his no-trade clause as a preventative measure.

Correa grew up idolizing Alex Rodriguez, who was traded to the Yankees under similar situations — the Rangers could not see keeping his long-term dollars on a shrinking payroll and being able to win and, thus, even included cash (like the Marlins did with Stanton and the Twins might have to do in order to move Correa), and A-Rod agreed to move from short to third next to Derek Jeter.

Correa will play at just 30 next year. Even playing just 86 games in 2024, he accumulated a 3.7 WAR, which would have been third on the Yanks behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto — a sign of his value even if limited to 120 games and doing everything possible to make sure he is ready for the postseason. Correa is well regarded for the conditioning work he does, and the Twins do not feel the plantar fasciitis was caused by issues with a lower right leg that, for all its worries, has yet to be a reason he went on the IL.

Correa is a worthwhile risk if his cost can be mitigated in dollars and prospects sent back— so much so that I could imagine his old Astros team trying to re-acquire him if Bregman leaves in free agency for a New York team or somewhere else.

Whatever happens with Soto — whether he re-signs with the Yankees, signs with the Mets or goes elsewhere — there is a case why the New York teams should still pursue Correa.