Adding Carlos Correa to Byron Buxton-led lineup fuels Twins' optimism

Like ballplayers every year for more than a century, Carlos Correa has certain goals in mind for his 2022 season. But they're probably not the same targets that Babe Ruth or Willie Mays ever took aim at.

"I want an OPS+ above 130. My weighted runs created, I want to keep it above 140. I've always had a goal of walking 100 times in a season, because if you do that, the home runs will come, right? But it's [really] hard," Correa said of his analytically driven goals. "And I want to win. I want to get back to the World Series."

That last one is a lot easier to calculate, but could induce plenty of eye-rolling in the Twin Cities — if anyone else said it. Minnesota hasn't played a World Series game since Jack Morris' Game 7 masterpiece more than 30 years ago. The Twins, last in the American League Central in 2021, haven't even won a postseason game in 17 years.

But Correa has been to the championship round three times in the past five seasons, and is arguably the biggest reason his Astros got there. He's one of the smartest and most dangerous hitters in the game, perhaps the most talented fielder currently patrolling a major league infield, and a dynamic personality that his new teammates already gravitate toward.

"He's brought a lot of chemistry here. He likes to win, and he brings that kind of energy," said Jorge Polanco, who after a 33-homer season last year will play next to Correa in the infield and the lineup. "We're trying to get that energy too. We come to the field every day the last couple of years trying to win. He seems like he knows he's going to."

Yes, 2022 figures to be forever remembered in local baseball lore as The Year Carlos Correa Was a Twin, especially since his feel-free-to-shop-around contract makes it highly unlikely there will be a second one. The wildly unexpected presence of the most highly regarded free agent in baseball created a notable win-now vibe around the Twins' clubhouse during spring training — and a giddy, history-be-damned confidence that it's somehow not as absurd as it sounds.

"This team is amazing. Really good. Our lineup is scary," catcher Ryan Jeffers said. "Not only is Carlos an amazing talent, but he brings a wealth of experience, especially in playoff baseball, that we don't have in this clubhouse. Just watch what a difference that makes."

Oh, it should be worth watching at least. Such a unique player and circumstance makes this an unusually intriguing Twins team playing what should be a fascinating season.

And not only because of Correa, the $35.1 million man.

In the seven seasons since Tyler Duffey's debut, "we've added a guy here or there just about every year, but mostly we stick with the players who came up through the system, who have been here for a while," the veteran righthander said. "This year, we went out and got four or five established veterans and just plugged them straight in, all in a couple of weeks. It feels like half the team has legitimately been All-Stars."

Nobody is suggesting that Sonny Gray, Chris Archer and Gary Sanchez should avoid making plans for this year's midsummer break, of course, but Duffey is correct — along with Correa, that's four new additions with All-Star pedigrees, a Twins record. And those four plus Polanco, Miguel Sano and Taylor Rogers gave the Twins seven former All-Star players overall — until Rogers was traded suddenly in an Opening Day deal with the Padres.

One could argue that some of the new acquisitions are past their prime, that they merely make the Twins front-runners for a back-in-time 2016 AL championship. It's also worth remembering that they subtracted Jose Berrios and Nelson Cruz last July, and Josh Donaldson and Mitch Garver last month.

Yet there's something about adding new ingredients to the mix, Byron Buxton has noticed, that can energize a team.

"You wouldn't think so, with all the new acquisitions and people coming and going, but the chemistry in here has been pretty unbelievable," Buxton said. "The minute we go out there, you can see how serious we take our jobs, and then once we get back in here, it's like we wind it back up again. It's joyful. It's fun. That makes a team hard to beat."

It wasn't hard to beat the Twins last year, their crash caused by a dilapidated pitching rotation and a revolving-door bullpen. Gray was acquired to shore up the starting staff, with Archer and Angels castoff Dylan Bundy signed to revive their once-formidable careers and help Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober continue to develop. Starter Chris Paddack, 26, came over from the Padres in the Rogers deal, along with reliever Emilio Pagan. Joe Smith was added and Jhoan Duran promoted to buttress the relief corps.

Gio Urshela was acquired to play third base, Sanchez to split catching duties with Jeffers, and both have postseason experience that the long-term Twins mostly lack.

The Twins' chances of reversing their plunge of a year ago, however, seem to revolve around Buxton and Correa, a couple of well-matched leaders. Buxton is quiet and instinctual, Correa charismatic and analytical, Buxton determined to remain in Minnesota his entire career — with his new seven-year, $100 million contract serving as evidence — and Correa likely passing through briefly on his way to far greater wealth.

Correa objects to the perception that he's a short-timer, though he can return to free agency in either of the next two Octobers. "I told Derek [Falvey, the president of baseball operations] and Rocco [Baldelli, the manager] that my goal for this year is to show you guys what I can bring to the team," Correa said, presumably so the Twins reward him with a contract more than triple his current $105.3 million guarantee. "I want to create a long-term relationship here. I love it here."

He's building that relationship with Buxton already. The pair talk frequently in the clubhouse, and both say the chats are unusually enlightening. OPS+ and weighted runs created, Correa's favorite measurements of his offensive contributions, come up a lot.

"WAR and UZR and all that other stuff, he knows all that 100 percent. I hadn't paid much attention to that. I'm more of a play hard, play well, win games kind of guy," Buxton said. "But he studies the metrics and puts them to use. It's helping me know the game a little bit more because it's changed a lot. It's been good."

Which is exactly the effect Falvey hopes his biggest acquisition has on the entire roster.

"That's great to hear. I hadn't heard Buck say that, so I'm glad he is, because obviously [when] you bring in somebody who is has been a leader somewhere else, you want them to bring the best of their leadership abilities in the room, but also not trample everybody else. That's ideal," Falvey said. "He understands what drives value in the game, both from a player's standpoint, in terms of pay and [salary], but also value on a team, to win. And he feels he can translate that really well to other guys."

Can that translate to victories, to postseason berths, to championships? The Twins hope to find out in a hurry. But Correa believes he already knows.

"I knew about this team before I signed here. I knew about Buxton, knew I can learn a lot from him because he's an absolute stud and a monster in the outfield," Correa said. "I knew about [Max] Kepler, I knew about Polanco. You just want a team that gets you the ingredients, and then it's up to us. And the ingredients are all in this room."