John Bonnes

Any given year, the Twins Diamond Awards are fantastic, but the event this year has some special meaning: it’s the return of Carlos Correa who will be collecting a whole slew of awards at this annual fundraising banquet. You can join Correa, Twins Daily writers, Twins beat writers, and Twins players and executives in fighting some terrible diseases by attending the 18th Annual Diamond Awards. John, Nick, and other Twins Daily writers will host exclusive Twins Daily tables. It is the big kickoff to Twins Fest weekend! But you have to get them by Friday! First, buy tickets to the 18th Annual Diamond Awards. It’s usually awesome, but this year’s banquet got a whole lot more interesting last week when Correa re-signed with the Twins. He was voted Most Valuable Twin and Defensive Player of the Year, and will also receive the “Media Good Guy” Award and Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award. But he’s not the only Twins player who will be collecting awards and rubbing elbows. Nick Gordon, Jhoan Duran, Matt Wallner and Louis Varland are also award winners. It’s the night before Twins Fest, Thursday January 26th starting at 5:00 at The Depot. You can get all the information, here. Tickets are $250 each but the proceeds go to the University of Minnesota to cure some pretty terrible diseases, like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), ataxia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease. It is a great cause and a fantastic time and Twins Daily wants to share it with you. We would love to get a big group together and talk a lot of baseball or get your thoughts on the site. If you already have your ticket, don’t despair. Just shoot me an email (john@bonnes.com), or DM me via Twitter (@TwinsGeek) and I’ll make sure we add you to our group. This is truly a special opportunity to attend one of the Twins premier annual events that celebrates their team and their fans. Plus, it’s an exceptional cause and a chance to see the best of the Twins on one of the coldest weekends of the year. Let’s recharge our batteries and get ready for a great weekend and an exciting year together. If you have any questions or concerns, use the comments. But please click the link below and give it a try this year. You won’t regret it. BUY TICKETS HERE View full article

Thank you for posting this and then continuing to update it. It had so much good information and people were definitely wondering what was going on. It's very generous of you to do this legwork and share it with everyone.

I find it kind of amazing this hasn't happened yet. It feels like it could almost be a liability issue.

Aaron and John talk Carlos Correa. And then more Carlos Correa. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Third time's a charm? The Minnesota Twins, against all odds, have come to an agreement with superstar shortstop Carlos Correa on six-year contract per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal brings to a close one of the oddest free-agent pursuits in MLB history and represents a financial commitment greater than any the historically frugal Twins have offered. Carlos Correa's wild offseason journey has led to agreements with both the Giants and Mets that fell through over concerns about his physical. Now, it has led him back to where he started. This time last year, Correa was one of the top names on the free agent market, so much so that he reportedly turned down a 10-year, $270M offer. However, he had to wait out MLB’s lockout, which is when he switched agents to Scott Boras. The market for superstars was less robust when the lockout ended in early March. So, he opted to sign a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for $35.1M per year, but the contract also allowed him to opt out after each of the first two years. That agreement couldn’t have worked out better for both parties. Correa thrived offensively and defensively, becoming the Twins MVP and earning rave reviews for his leadership and mentorship. He opted out of his contract, again positioned as one of the top free agents available. But the usually thrifty Twins declared their intention to pursue him, eventually offering a 10-year $285M contract. Alas, that appeared to be nowhere near enough. Correa agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants for 13 years and $350M, but that deal fell apart a week later when the Giants expressed concerns about a plate in Correa’s right leg from a 2014 injury. It didn’t take long for Correa to find another suitor. The same night, he agreed to a 12-year deal with New York Mets' owner Steve Cohen for $315M. However, shortly thereafter, the Mets had a similar concern, jeopardizing that deal. Correa and the Mets worked on resolving that concern for more than two weeks, with varying levels of optimism that a deal would get done. Thursday night, that optimism was shaken when Jon Heyman revealed that Boras had engaged with at least one other team. The talks stalled when the two sides could not agree on language protecting the Mets if Correa’s career or production were cut short due to the old injury. Lenient terms on a team opt-out midway through a 12-year deal can quickly turn a guaranteed contract into a not-so-guaranteed contract. Enter the Twins. They had re-engaged with a similar contract to the one they previously offered, though the guaranteed amount is unclear. Also, while Correa's old injury surely could provide some concerns, they had the advantage of having already observed Correa and his right leg up close for the last year. Their offer was less dependent on a physical, a key component Boras needed before walking away from the Mets’ offer. It was unclear to the Twins whether they were truly a serious contender or were being used as leverage for Boras against the Mets. Correa may have enjoyed his time with the Twins, but the Mets have a loaded roster, an owner willing to spend whatever it takes, and the City that Never Sleeps. Were the Twins just being used to drive up the dollars? Or to get the Mets to bend on contract language regarding the opt-out? Or did they really have a chance to land Correa? The Twins and Boras traded multiple offers over the weekend, and confidence their status varied from hour to hour and executive to executive. They knew that Boras was also doing the same with the Mets, and it should be obvious that negotiations with the super agent Boras can be intense. Several times, the pendulum swung from “optimistic” to “pessimistic” and back again, even over the last 24 hours. With that said, this is obviously a stunning turn of events in terms of optics. The Mets and Giants are among the most free-spending, impulsive, uninhibited franchises in baseball regarding free agency. The Twins are on the exact opposite end of that spectrum. Correa has quickly become one of the most publicized high-risk free agents at this level of caliber/price we've ever seen. Minnesota's front office – despite its litany of existing injury concerns – said ‘screw it’ and bypassed the inhibitions that held back big-market titans. Why? Because they feel the shortstop is everything their team needs to take the next step. The only times the Twins have even approached swimming in waters this deep financially was when they were previously faced with losing longtime Twins fixtures like Kirby Puckett, Joe Mauer, and Byron Buxton. In 1992, Puckett was the top free agent on the market but re-signed with the Twins for 5 years and $30M. In 2010, entering his last year of team control, Mauer agreed to an 8-year, $184 million contract extension to stay with the team. Finally, last year, also entering his final year of team control, Buxton agreed to a 7-year, $100M contract with almost another $100M in possible incentives. While Correa was with the team for only one year, he has this in common with those players: the organization didn’t want to lose him. Correa's impact on the team was clearly evident in 2022, when he put forth stellar production on the field and earned rave reviews of his wide-reaching impact on the organization. He’s a Gold Glove caliber defender at a premium position. He’s averaged 28 home runs over 162 games while getting on base at a .359 clip. He’s also just 28 years old, entering the prime of his career. Like those previous players, he is now positioned to be the face of the Twins franchise. In terms of his future fit, obviously, Correa is lined up to play shortstop for now, which pushes Kyle Farmer into more of a utility role while giving Royce Lewis plenty of time to work his way back from knee surgery. It's interesting that the Mets were planning to immediately shift Correa to third base (and he seemed totally open to it), so that could be the plan somewhere down the line for Minnesota. But as a 28-year-old former Platinum Glover still fielding short at a high level, there's no rush for now. The Twins got their shortstop. And more than that, they got their guy and turned around a wayward offseason with the biggest and boldest contract in franchise history. The Twins are in it to win it. Let's go. View full article

The Twins' pursuit of Carlos Correa continues today with growing evidence that Correa’s agreement with the Mets is in trouble. The latest? Mets’ owner Steve Cohen took to Twitter to “like” Mets fans' tweets expressing their indifference to Correa joining the Mets. Image courtesy of Brad Perner -USA TODAY Sports The ongoing Mets negotiations with Carlos Corea and the agreed upon 12-year, $315M deal have dragged on for weeks after the Mets expressed concerns about Correa’s surgically repaired right leg. But there has always been optimism from both sides that a dea would get done because Cohen tends to get what he wants. And Cohen wanted Correa. His attitude might have changed. Cohen is not active on Twitter; his last tweet was back in November. Before today, the last tweet he liked was a Mets fan espousing signing Carlos Correa almost a month ago. But today he found a few that he liked that have a little different slant. “Met fans? Don’t panic. In the event this isn’t a ploy remember, the Mets have options in either Escobar or a young gun in Baty. I want Carlos, but he needs the Mets more than they need him. Plus his options are shrinking. Stay the course. #lgm #nymets #MetsTwitter” That was posted by @Adrian16010, discussing a story about how the Mets had grown “very frustrated” with the weeks-long negotiations they’ve had with Correa’s agent, Scott Boras. But Cohen wasn’t done. He also liked this one: “We are already a better team than we were this time last year. Remember... We won 101 games last year. That's because of the commitment Steve Cohen has made to the team and fans. Whether the Correa deal works out not, it's great to have an owner willing to do anything to win!” - @BruceGamsey This isn’t the only evidence that the chances of the Mets and Correa reaching an agreement could be fading. The aforementioned SNY’s story by Andy Martino yesterday claimed that a Mets source said the team was very frustrated and considering walking away. Later yesterday, Jim Bowden insisted that the Twins have again become a legitimate candidate on MLB Network Radio. View full article

Aaron and John talk about the ongoing Carlos Correa saga, the Twins possibly adding a veteran right-handed bat, what to make of interest in starting pitchers, why the trade market is suddenly very important, and how more bullpen help is warranted as options dwindle. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

Great story. It's funny the little moments that make our fandom worthwhile. I look forward to seeing what you write about next. Thank you for sharing this.

Glad to see you blogging! Looking forward to reading more. If you have a specific pitcher in mind, it seems like it might make sense to start a topic in the Twins Daily forums called something like "Josh Winder (or whoever) Scouting, Analysis and Fixes" and see if that generates some community responses. Maybe it'll work or maybe not.

Aaron and John talk about the latest in the ongoing Carlos Correa contract saga, the Twins signing Joey Gallo and why it makes a trade likely, what's left on the free agent market to even spend on, and how Taylor Rogers and Willians Astudillo got paid. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. View full article

The calendar says it's Christmas Eve, but for the Twins, it's Groundhog Day. Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Stop me if you've heard this before - but Carlos Correa 's new team has concerns about his physical. This morning Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes reported that the Mets, who agreed to a $315M 12-year deal with Correa earlier this week, have medical concerns about Correa. Can this open the door for the Twins? Rosenthal reports that the two parties are trying to work through the news. But that news also means the agreement is in question. The Mets only have that agreement because a similar drama played out earlier this week between Correa and the San Francisco Giants, who had a 13-year, $350M deal with Correa. On the day the Giants were officially scheduled to introduce Correa to their fans, they delayed the press conference due to medical concerns. As a result of those concerns, the deal fell apart, and Correa signed with the Mets later that same night. Those medical concerns surrounded Correa's right leg, which has a plate due to surgery on a broken fibula in 2014 when he was a minor leaguer with the Astros. It has never landed him on the Injured List in his major league career, but there are concerns it will reduce his lateral mobility as he ages. That becomes increasingly important when signing someone for 12 years of hundreds of millions of guaranteed money. The Twins pursued Correa before his deal with the Giants and reportedly were also interested after that deal fell apart, but declined to raise their final offer to him, which was $285M over ten years. They also wanted to learn more about the medical concerns raised by the Giants. The Twins, however, likely have a different perspective on Correa's health, as he played 136 games for them just last year. As a result of his exceptional play and the leadership he showed to their team, the Twins pursued him for the last several months and seemed to be one of the finalists for his services. But they lost him - and then lost him again. We'll see if the third time is the charm. View full article

I think Fan Graphs early projecton system on this team has them at 81 wins, and that was before Gallo (and maybe before Vazquez). So you're objectively right - it's not a bad team. The question is how do they get better?

I hadn't paid much attention to that walk rate before this. Thank you for sharing it. That's an interesting aspect to consider when thinking about his future.

Great story. Thank you for sharing it. I truly love the headline. Really solid writing and analysis. I also agree that having Arraez follow Gallo is intriguing. Having Gallo bat ninth... not so much. Not sure how to resolve it. But I'd want him up with men on base.

I'd definitely suggest you fly to NYM, train to Bos. You will not want to drive in either NYC or BOS, so you'll just be paying massive parking fees. If you DO drive, I'd suggest leaving your car someplace in Newark and taking the train from there into NYC. I'd definitely recommend Patriot's Day, and I'd suggest you get there the night before if you can. Boston is a big party that morning. (It might also be the night before, but that experience was 30 years ago and it might have just been because Chrissie was hanging out with service industry workers, who tend to go pretty hard on Sunday nights.)

Here's what I like about this: you started writing, it kind of led to a dead end, but you saw it through and hit publish. This happens all the time to writers.

Awesome story. That first paragraph is fantastic, btw.

In a nearly unheard of reversal, Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that the Carlos Correa has agreed to a 12-year, $315M contract with the Mets, after his 13-year, $350M deal with the Giants fell through. The middle-of-the-night deal was struck after an unknown medical concern caused the Giants to postpone their scheduled press conference to introduce the superstar shortstop. The new deal is one-year and $35M short of the deal that was in place with San Francisco. It is also $30M and two years more than the Minnesota Twins final offer to Carlos Correa last week, which was for 10 years and $285M. Mets owner Steve Cohen revealed that last week the Mets made an offer last week of $300M, but talks with the Giants had already advanced, so that offer was rejected. The Mets had not been identified as a suitor for Correa’s services throughout most of his time on the free agent market, mostly because they are currently paying fellow superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor $341M to man the position. But last week, Lindor publicly welcomed the pursuit of Correa. It is not clear which player will play where in the infield. There were never any reports of the Twins exceeding $300M of guaranteed money in any of their offers to Correa. However, the new amount that Correa excepted is seemingly much closer to the level the Twins were willing to pay. Adding $15M per year over two years (perhaps on a player option?) for Correa when he would be 38 and 39 years old is still a significant risk. But by 2033 and 2034, even the Twins' payroll could be well north of $200M given MLB’s rising salaries. It might have been risky, maybe even silly, but $15M of dead money for those two years should not have been crippling to a franchise. Whether the Twins decided not to take that risk, or whether the Mets, Correa and agent Scott Boras never game them that chance, is unknown. How much “risk” the contract represents to the mega-rich Mets are taking is certainly debatable. What is not debatable is just how much it is going to cost them, and it far exceeds the value of the contract. Next year, the Mets will also need to pay a 90% “tax” on the average annual value (AAV) of the deal because they are over the highest threshold of MLB’s luxury tax level for the second year in a row. That means that while the Mets are paying Correa and AAV of $26.25M ($315M/12 years) they have to contribute another $23.625M to be distributed to other MLB clubs. That means their true cost is almost $50M per year for Correa, and will be for as many years as their payroll exceeds that luxury tax threshold. That illustrates the difference the Twins (and all mid-market team) are having competing for top-end free agents compared to large-market (or in this case, deep-pocket) owners. While the Twins offer wasn't so much less than the Mets winning bid, Correas was worth twice as much to the Mets. Enough, in fact to overcome the severe luxury tax penalty imposed by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. In reality, things haven't change much for the Twins since their situation 48 hours ago. They still are sitting with $30-40M worth of payroll room, but also with a free agent market devoid of top-end talent. But what looked like an unforeseen gift - similar to Correa falling into their laps last offseason - now looks like just another lost opportunity. View full article