Carlos Correa signs his contract; Twins see a leader for their clubhouse

FORT MYERS, FLA. — His own session of ground balls finished, Carlos Correa hung around on a back field Tuesday, his first official day as a Twin, and watched his fellow infielders field theirs. Well, he did more than watch — he played first base for them, he cheered and heckled and teased them, too, and then he gathered them in a group once they had finished and delivered a short monologue that had Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez captivated.

The message: You, too, can be Carlos Correa.

"He was saying, you guys are super-talented. He's constantly demanding more from himself, just a little more, a little more, and it makes a difference," said infield coach Tony Diaz, who listened in. "He encourages players, inspires them, motivates them. He's like, hey, I'm not from another planet. Have high standards, and this can happen to you."

Well, maybe, though signing a contract that pays $35.1 million per year is something that no infielder in baseball history had ever done before Tuesday, when Correa took pen to paper and made official his allegiance — probably for one season, but perhaps two or three at the same pay grade — to one of the most unlikely suitors in free agency.

"I wasn't expecting it," marveled outfielder Max Kepler, "but he's a leader and just what we need for the clubhouse."

That's what struck Rocco Baldelli, too. The Twins manager talked Tuesday about how impressed he was with Correa's baseball intellect — then added, almost as an afterthought: "Plus, he's a great player on top of all that."

When Correa's agent, Scott Boras, called to gauge Minnesota's interest in a short-but-pricey contract full of opt-outs — the star shortstop can declare himself a free agent in either of the next two Octobers — Baldelli, Derek Falvey and several other startled but excited front-office officials hurriedly took part in a video conference call with Correa.

"We had a great Zoom call and a great conversation with him. There was a real feel on both sides that it was real and it could happen," Baldelli said. "He sells himself very easily. He has a championship-caliber mentality the way he prepares. We talk about elevating teammates — he's the kind of player who does it."

Correa spent only a small part of his first day on the field. Diaz hit him about 20 ground balls, had him test his throwing arm, described for him the daily drill schedule in Twins camp. "Just a light workout, loosened him up a little bit, little bit of a sweat. A good first day," Diaz said. "He does what the good ones do — they know themselves really well. He needs to get into game shape, but that won't take long."

Fans can't wait. The Twins reported Tuesday that more than 60,000 single-game tickets have been sold since Correa's decision became public Saturday, an indication of rising excitement level. And Correa obliged those who clamored for his autograph next to a practice field after his workout ended.

The new shortstop will take batting practice against live pitching for the next day or two before the Twins insert him into a game, Baldelli said. In the meantime, "he's learning a lot about us and how we operate. He spent the day going from person to person to person, staff and players, trying to have a conversation, ask a few questions, get to know them."

Baldelli has known about Correa for more than a decade, since attending an amateur showcase camp in 2011, when he was a Rays scout and Correa was 17.

"He was a specimen, and everyone was impressed. … He was big and strong and had a good swing, could field the left side of the infield," Baldelli said. "One of the youngest guys at the event, but Carlos stood out."

Now he's a decorated veteran, a World Series champion, a two-time All-Star, a Platinum Glove winner — and a Minnesota Twin.

He's one other thing, too: A confessed sign-stealer, a blemish on his otherwise distinguished résumé. Correa admitted his complicity in the Astros' trashcan-banging scandal of 2017, and said when the illegal system became public in 2020, ''Everything that happened that year was wrong. … We have to go to bed every single night thinking about what we did, and how wrong it was."

That's good enough for me, Baldelli said.

"He's a stand-up individual. He handled himself in the best possible manner," Baldelli said of Correa's apology. "It's challenging to speak about the difficult things. When he has had to do that, he's done it exactly the way that you would want to see. He's done it genuinely and with respect."