Carlos Correa remains the top priority for the Minnesota Twins this offseason, but as he sat down with Twins’ brass for dinner at the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, he may not have been alone.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins did meet with Correa and his representation during the opening days of the Winter Meetings, but he was also joined by pitcher Carlos Rodón and shortstop Xander Bogearts.
All three players are represented by Scott Boras and are considered to be some of the top free agents on the market. They also could be prospective targets as the hot stove begins to heat up.
Rodón would fill an obvious need for the Twins because he’s a front-line starter. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts for San Francisco last season and is ranked ninth on Keith Law’s top free agents list over at The Athletic.
After Jacob deGrom signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers on Saturday and Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $86 million contract with the New York Mets on Monday, Rodón is the top remaining pitcher on the market.
The Twins’ courtship of Bogaerts isn’t as obvious. Bogaerts is Law’s fifth-ranked free agent after hitting .307/.377/.456 with 15 homers and 73 RBI in 150 games for the Boston Red Sox last season, but the Twins would probably like to re-sign Correa instead.
That was the vibe manager Rocco Baldelli gave during an interview for MLB Network Radio, where he mentioned having “a nice meal” with Correa but didn’t mention the other two participants.
"I think there's still a real chance that Carlos is a Twin for a very long time."
It's no secret. Rocco Baldelli wants his shortstop back.@Twins | #Twins | #WinterMeetings pic.twitter.com/4lCph6N2xx
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 5, 2022
“We’ve been in a lot of contact,” Baldelli said. “I actually saw [Correa] two days ago and…a group of us grabbed a really good meal and then talked about a few things, too.”
Baldelli said he believes Correa could remain with the Twins “for a very long time.”
“It all has to make sense,” Baldelli said. “We want our players happy when they come in and, you know, he’s not joining us, he would be re-joining us.”
Bogaerts’ inclusion at the free agent meal is interesting. The 11-year, $300 million contract that Trea Turner signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday suggests that Bogaerts and Correa are in line for similarly gigantic contracts. Is Bogaerts the backup plan if Correa bolts?
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Twins, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres are interested free-agent catcher Christian Vazquez. The 32-year-old who hit .274/.315/.399 with nine homers and 52 RBI in 119 games last season but hit just .250/.278/.308 with one home run in 35 games after he was traded to the Houston Astros.
The key for Vazquez – who is reportedly seeking a three-year deal – is what he offers defensively. Opponents scored just one run in the 33 innings he caught for Houston on their way to winning the World Series last October and he would be an upgrade on incumbent Ryan Jeffers and departing free agent Gary Sánchez.
Related: Twins willing to trade Luis Arreaz to upgrade pitching staff
