Carlos Correa

Correa recalls Giants free agency fiasco in Oracle Park return

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Carlos Correa is officially a member of the Minnesota Twins. He spoke to the media following the announcement of his signing about how, “shocking,” it was for both the Giants and Mets to pass on him after going in for physicals with both teams.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After the initial reports that Carlos Correa would be a Giant, it took a little under a week for it all to fall apart. Parts of that week were very stressful for Giants executives and their medical team, but for Correa himself, there was nothing but excitement. 

On Friday, when he returned to Oracle Park for the first time since agreeing to terms as a free agent, Correa said he had been set to explore San Francisco during that wait for the deal to become official. He had started looking at houses in the area, which is a frightening process for just about everyone except professional athletes, particularly those who have just agreed to make $350 million.

It all came crashing down, but not before Correa and San Francisco got about as close as you can get to tying the knot. 

"It was a press conference away," he told reporters on Friday afternoon. "It was obviously an emotional night for the family. I remember (agent Scott Boras) calling me to the room. When I signed the first deal here in Minnesota, he called me and was like, 'It's done.' Super simple.

"This time he said, 'Come to the room, we need to talk.' At that point I knew something had to be wrong and then he gave me the news and the ordeal happened."

The ordeal ended with Correa back in Minnesota after the Giants and New York Mets failed Correa on physicals. The Giants were concerned about the long-term outlook for his ankle and backed out of the 13-year agreement. 

Correa ended up losing about $150 million in guaranteed money when he ended up back with the Twins, although given his age -- he doesn't turn 30 until later this year -- he still could make some of that up with his next contract. He said Friday that he doesn't really think about the way it all went down.

"Whatever happened that year happened," he said. "After that, I moved on and I'm very happy where I'm at right now."

The Twins are right in the midst of the AL playoff race and Correa is headed to his third All-Star team, with a .310 average and 13 home runs entering this series. Before his first at-bat back in San Francisco as a visitor, Correa heard some light boos, but otherwise it was business as usual. He said he's really excited about this current Minnesota team and the future prospects for a young group that already is among MLB's best. 

"I feel great. I feel really good," he said. "I love where our team is at."

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