Aaron Weiland

The lineup is in fact not "weak". If AK and Larnach are healthy, they are above average bats. AK especially, he could be a 130 wRC+ guy if right and hitting near his ceiling. Gordon was an above average bat last year. Kepler/Gallo are lotto tickets, if one of them clicks that's a huge win, but with their defense if one of them even grade out league average at the plate, that's a good player. Buxton - Polanco - Correa - Miranda - Healthy Kirilloff is the best top half of any lineup in the AL Central, and top 10 in the MLB. And we're not even talking about the impact Julien/Lee/Lewis could have this year. One more big bat would be a nice-to-have, and would put them more on par with the big juggernaut/top 5 teams like the Astros, but they don't need one more bat to be a top 10 offense this year. Hell, they were almost a top 10 offense last year trotting out the likes of Celly, Palacios, Contreras and Cave nearly every day in the second half. The question isn't talent, it's health.

I disagree with this framing a lot. Even before Correa resigned, the Twins were better than they were last year. Getting key pieces back from injuries counts. Getting back Maeda, Alcala, presumably healthy Kirilloff etc makes us a better team, as does finally establishing depth from within with Varland, SWR, and perhaps Julien and Lee too.

Yes I'm sure the guys that all loved playing with Correa so much they FaceTimed him to get him involved with a uniform reveal for a team he no longer played for will decide to throw 90mph projectiles at his ribs because he tried to get paid in the offseason, a goal every last one of them share in common. You're taking the game and business of baseball waaaaaaaayyy too seriously.

I guess it would all come down to how big the gap is on the dollars then.

They being the Twins? If so, thats still quite a large stumbling block to get over on the way to stealing him from the Mets unless its something like "Carlos wants $300 and the Twins are at $295" .

The team is not nearly as bad as people keep saying it is. There are 3 major holes in the roster (not in any particular order): 1. SS 2. One more high quality right handed bat 3. A true Ace. Carlos fills two of those needs at once. Hence the infatuation. He's a perfect fit for this roster, and we saw last year he's a great fit in the clubhouse too. It's not Correa or bust, it's still possible that some combination of Royce and Brooks Lee could also fill those first two needs. But your wildest hope is that one day Royce or Lee turn in half the player that Carlos has already proven he is. So why not get the proven quantity?

Eh I'm not so sure about this. If Correa is willing to sign a short term high AAV contract, I'm sure the Mets would be all over that. IF the Twins were to still acquire him after all this, it will probably be because the Mets are offering him a short term high AAV and the Twins are still willing to commit long term.