Twins sign Carlos Correa

Was I dreaming?

As I often do, I fell asleep with my phone on next to me. Listening to whatever. I don't even remember.

But I wake up some time later, and when I grab my phone to shut it off for the night I see a notification on my phone....that the Minnesota Twins had just signed Carlos Correa. Seriously. 

The cheap ass Twins signed the #1 position player free agent available, to a 3 year, $105 million deal.

The Twins have already been very un-Twinsian of late, having made 3 big trades in the week-plus since the lockout ended. They traded Mitch Garver to Texas. They got Sonny Gray from the Reds. And the swung a bonafide blockbuster with the Yankees, getting Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela while dumping Josh Donaldson, and all of his remaining contract.

The Donaldson move cleared a lot of payroll off, but the expectation was that either that money would go to a couple more pitching additions, or that the Pohlads would just pocket it. 

Nobody saw this coming.

I wouldn't get too attached to Correa. The contract allows for him to opt out after any season, so he can hit free agency again in a year. The odds that he doesn't do that are very slim. So this is basically a 1 year rental. Hell of a bridge player to hold it down for Royce Lewis.

So, yeah, it's not REALLY that big a financial deal. It only  brings the Twins payroll up to about 20th in MLB. But there is really zero downside to this, unless Correa either gets hurt or his play collapses. 

It provides a huge jolt for a team that a week ago looked destined for a go nowhere season, looking way up at the White Sox. They still are not a threat to retake the AL Central, but they should definitely be expected to compete for one of the now 3 wild card spots available.

The dream scenario is that an elite player elevates the team enough to make a legitimate postseason run. Then when Correa leaves, well, at least we ended that humiliating playoff losing streak.