With the signing of Carlos Correa this week, the Twins' two-decade history of searching for a shortstop — 14 different Opening Day starters in the past 19 seasons — finally ended this year.
Or did it?
Yes, Correa is virtually certain to jog out to his usual spot when the Twins' open the season in March. But the Twins noted that Correa, upon accepting a 12-year contract offer with the Mets that eventually was withdrawn, agreed to vacate, in deference to incumbent Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, the only defensive position he has ever played in his 1,191 games as a professional.
So could Correa eventually move to third base?
"He profiles exceptionally well at third base on a lot of levels," said Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, citing Correa's arm strength, lateral movement and good footwork. "I'm not saying he's eager to do that tomorrow. He's a great shortstop and he expects to be for a long time."
Still, the 28-year-old Correa is going to be a Twin for at least six more seasons, and perhaps as many as 10. Few shortstops retain the athleticism to play shortstop beyond their early 30s.
"With any premium middle-of-the-diamond player 10 years out, even though [Correa] is younger than most, you are always thinking, 'What could happen next? Could [he] go to third? Could [he] go to first? Will he finish at DH?' " Falvey said.
One expert on Correa's skills believes that move is inevitable: Correa himself.
"He said as much. … He is an [assistant general manager] in some ways, right? Like the way he thinks about the future progression, and valuation, and where he could shift," said Falvey, who drafted shortstops Royce Lewis No. 1 overall in 2017 and Brooks Lee at No. 8 last summer. "He thinks about those things. So he almost puts himself in our shoes and says, like, 'Well as I age and, if I'm a little less quick laterally, I can move to third because I'm in the 70th percentile of like arm strength.' "
On the other hand, Lewis, coming off two knee surgeries, could be a candidate for a move, too, or perhaps either Lewis or Lee could someday supplant Jorge Polanco at second base.
Farmer versatile
Correa is the second shortstop acquired by the Twins this offseason. Falvey traded away Class AA righthander Casey Legumina in November to acquire Kyle Farmer, the Reds' regular shortstop the past two seasons.
Farmer, 32, will still get plenty of playing time, Falvey said, but only occasionally at shortstop.
"He's played left, he's played right. He's played third base, he's played second, he's played short," Falvey pointed out of the six-year veteran, who homered 30 times over the past two seasons. "That [type of] player tends to be valuable."
Etc.
- With Correa now signed, the free-agent market "has moved on earlier than we have been used to," Falvey said, "so we're focused a little bit more on the [trade] market." Still, he said. "I'm not convinced anything comes to fruition. We don't have anything on the doorstep in any way, but that's probably our focus over the next month."
- Alex Kirilloff's right wrist has healed enough that when the outfielder swings with full force, "he's like, 'Oh, OK, this is what it used to feel like' " before he injured it in 2021, Falvey said. "So that's really good news." The Twins expect Kirilloff to be ready for spring training, though they may limit how many swings he takes, at least early in camp.
- Outfielder Kyle Garlick was designated for assignment to make room for Correa on the Twins' 40-man roster. Garlick, 30, hit 14 home runs in 102 games the past two seasons for the Twins.
- After two seasons of COVID cancellations, the Twins' Winter Caravan will return later this month, the team announced. Current Twins Caleb Thielbar, Jose Miranda, Ryan Jeffers, Nick Gordon and Louie Varland will join coaches, former players and broadcasters in a variety of appearances in a dozen communities in Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Iowa during the week of Jan. 24-28. The complete schedule is available at twins.com/caravan.
- The Twins' other transaction this week — trading for former Rangers righthander A.J. Alexy — was a chance to acquire a former highly rated prospect whose early success in the majors was undone by his inability to consistently throw strikes. "We have a couple of ideas that we think could help him," Falvey said.
