Red Sox Could Make Big Splash If Twins Open To Trading Star Infielder

The Twins probably aren’t going to trade superstar shortstop Carlos Correa this winter, but if they’re at all considering it, the Red Sox should join the group of teams calling about his availability.

If they aren’t already.

Minnesota president of baseball operations Derek Falvey revealed that teams had called the Twins to gauge their interest in potentially moving the shortstop, per The Minnesota Star Tribune.

“Obviously, you expect teams to call on players like that, especially with where we are and some of the conversations we’re having with other clubs, but we want to win so a high bar is set,” Falvey told reporters.

Credit to the Twins, a traditionally small-market, low-spending club that spent big to sign Correa. They have, however, financial constraints that big-market clubs don’t, and they’re expected to keep their 2025 payroll in the $130 million neighborhood ahead of a potential sale.

So, while the Twins are coming off a competitive 82-80 season in which they competed for a playoff spot, they almost have to listen to offers for anyone on their roster, especially someone entering the third season of a six-year, $200 million deal. Correa will cost the Twins $37.33 million in 2025 and is signed at least through 2028 (vesting options worth another $70 million total could keep him under contract through 2032).

Complicating the situation is Correa’s injury situation. He hasn’t played more than 136 games since 2021, and he appeared in just 86 games in 2024 while dealing with a foot injury. When he was healthy last season, though, he had arguably the best offensive performance of his career. Correa posted a 4.3 fWAR, the same figure posted by Jurickson Profar and Dansby Swanson, who played 158 and 149 games, respectively. Correa’s 155 wRC+ was good for ninth among all hitters in baseball with at least 300 plate appearances, and only Bobby Witt Jr. had a higher OPS among shortstops.

The Red Sox don’t necessarily need to add a shortstop with Trevor Story in the mix. However, given reported discussions they’ve had about potentially adding players like Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado, it’s pretty clear they’d be open to shuffling the infield if it meant acquiring an impact player.

When it comes to impact, a healthy Correa is an easier sell than Bregman or Arenado. Bregman is the same age as Correa, and he’s looking at a long-term contract of his own. Given the fallout from the Juan Soto deal, Bregman’s price tag is only going up to the point where he might end up getting a bigger contract than Correa but later in his career. As for Arenado, his contract is manageable, but at 33 (he’ll turn 34 in April), his best baseball is probably behind him, as evidenced by an undeniable drop-off in expected metrics over the last three seasons. The one caveat with Arenado is that he would take far less to acquire than Correa and is a smaller financial investment than both.

The Red Sox certainly are familiar with Correa. Boston was floated as a potential destination for the star after Xander Bogaerts signed with San Diego. More tangibly, Correa has a good relationship with Boston manager Alex Cora who called Correa a “good kid,” while praising his maturity back in 2022.

The biggest issue? It’s probably not going to happen. The Athletic on Monday night cited multiple team sources who believed a Correa trade was a long shot.

If that changes, the Red Sox should certainly throw their hat in the ring, especially in the context of everything else they’ve been willing to try this offseason.