Twins SS Carlos Correa to opt out, become free agent

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said he is exercising his opt-out clause to become a free agent. The two-time All-Star confirmed his plans Wednesday with the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia. "With the year that I have had, my health and my being at the best moment of my career at 28, that is the right decision," Correa told the paper. Correa batted .291 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs in 136 games in his first season with Minnesota in 2022. He signed a three-year, $105.3 million deal with the Twins last March that included multiple player options. He would make $35.1 million next season and $35.1 million in 2024 if he were to opt in. Correa did not rule out signing a new long-term deal with the Twins. "I have a good relationship with Minnesota. I am very interested in being able to return," he told the paper. "I have been in this business for a long time, and I know that things do now always go the way one wants them." Correa spent his first seven seasons with the Houston Astros, earning American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, All-Star selections in 2017 and 2021 and a Gold Glove in 2021. He is a lifetime .279/.357/.479 hitter with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in 888 games with the Astros (2015-21) and Twins. Houston selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft. --Field Level Media