The Minnesota Twins signed Carlos Correa last offseason, but were forced to make another, much larger attempt this offseason. After he opted out, the price tag went up considerably. Ultimately, the star shortstop signed with the San Francisco Giants for an incredible 13-year, $350 million deal.
Minnesota reportedly didn't lowball Correa all that much. According to Jon Heyman, they offered their former shortstop a 10-year contract for $285 million.
The AAV there is a bit more than what Correa ended up with in San Francisco, but he opted for a longer deal.
Heyman tweeted:
"Twins made a decent try for Correa, offering close to $285M for 10 years. Twins will consider Dansby Swanson now."
After they struck out on the other shortstop, the team will now reportedly turn to Dansby Swanson, the last of a deep shortstop class remaining.
After Trea Turner and Xander Boagaerts signed, it left Correa and Swanson. For the Twins, all that's left is the former Atlanta Braves star.
The market for him is reportedly heating up. Several teams, including Minnesota, are in on Swanson. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will all be competing with Minnesota here.
What if the Minnesota Twins miss out on Dansby Swanson?
If the team isn't able to land Swanson, wherever he ends up, the options after that are not all that strong. Jean Segura is a former shortstop and could play there again, but Jose Iglesias and Elvis Andrus could play for them.
They would be nothing more than a stopgap, though. If they signed one of them or someone else, it would likely be for a year.
The 2024 free agent market includes:
- Amed Rosario
- Isaiah Kiner-Falefa
- Gio Urshela
Those options aren't great, either. In 2025, the class includes:
- Ha-Seong Kim
- Tim Anderson
- Willy Adames
- Paul DeJong
Again, a much shallower class than 2023. Put simply, if they cannot land Swanson, it might be very difficult to find their future shortstop any time soon.
Trades can happen and prospects come up, but since most top shortstops are locked down for the next decade or more, it will be difficult for Minnesota.