Carlos Correa had to run the gauntlet as a free agent this past offseason, bouncing all around the country before deciding to return to the Minnesota Twins on a six-year, $105 million contract earlier this month. The stress of not knowing when he would ink a deal or where he would go did not keep Correa out of the gym, however.
In fact, Correa's teammate Jose Miranda is practically hypnotized by the two-time All-Star shorstop. “He looks sexy. Have you seen that body,” Miranda joked, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
Correa had the baseball world on their toes for months after first reportedly signing with the San Francisco Giants and then the New York Mets. Both teams pulled out of their monster 12 and 13-year deals, respectively, due to concerns over his physical. Correa suffered a fractured fibula in 2014 before he was even called up by the Houston Astros and suffered back injuries and a rib fracture, among others, over the course of his eight-year professional career.
Miranda might have been being a bit facetious, but Correa's peak conditioning will certainly be something to monitor, amid the growing narrative about his health. The 28-year-old has done an alright job of staying healthy the past few seasons, but obviously there were multiple team medical staffs that think there are more, perhaps lengthier stints on the Injured List in his future.
Correa will likely have a super-sized, $250 million chip on his shoulder after being forced to take a discount with the Twins. That could be good for the whole team, as they look to rebound from a disappointing 78-84 finish in 2022. Correa posted an impressive .291 batting average and had 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 136 games. His surprise return adds an air of optimism around the Twins' outlook for next season.
Carlos Correa will look to prove the medical community wrong as he continues to prepare for Spring Training. Those who happen to catch a glance of him in public might want to refrain from crossing the street.
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