Carlos Correa Hopes To Bring 'Championship Culture' To Twins
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's maybe unsurprising that a guy named Carlos Correa would use so many words that start with C, but his introductory presser with the Twins was flooded with phrases like "championship culture" and "communication."
But Correa's alliterative declarations were purposeful and seemingly genuine. To hear both him and Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey tell it, Correa is not just the team's new superstar shortstop -- he's also expected to be a leader.
"First things first, I'm focused on winning and I'm focused on building the championship culture that I've been preaching since I got here," Correa said.
"This guy through and through is a leader, is someone that's going continue to elevate everyone around him in our organization," Falvey said. "That's why he's here, beyond the play on the field, which is stellar."
The 27-year-old Correa signed a three-year deal with the Twins. He was the top free agent on the market, and the usually frugal Twins opened their wallets for a shot at the star.
"Carlos had a lot of choices, as he should, he's one of the best players in our game," Falvey said. "For him to choose Minnesota, to be a part of our organization, to join the Twins family, is just really special."
The Twins hope their new superstar can help them get back to playoff baseball after last season snapped a two-year division win streak.
"When we talked on the Zoom call, we only talked about winning," Correa said. "We want to move forward and win divisions, win championships, and that's my goal here. Make everybody around us better and just move forward with a championship mentality."
That Zoom call, which happened Friday night, convinced both sides that Minnesota and Correa were a perfect fit.
"When [Correa's agent Scott Boras] expressed that this may be a fit for Carlos, and it certainly was for us, it went pretty quickly from there," Falvey said. "Within the first five minutes it felt like it was really natural, it was a really good fit."
"They made me feel like this was the place for me to be, they made me feel like this was going to be my next home," Correa said. "When I got off the Zoom call, I told Scott, 'Let's make it happen.' I told my wife, 'Start packing, we're going to Minnesota and we're going to go out there and have fun and help the organization win.'"
Correa knows about helping an organization win. In the four years before his debut in Houston, the Astros averaged 104 losses. In 2015, when he won American League Rookie of the Year, they won 86 games and made the playoffs. In 2017, the Astros won a World Series (which may come with an asterisk, depending on who you ask), and have played in two more championships since (2019, 2021), losing both.
"I know what it takes to build a championship culture within the clubhouse," Correa said. "I see that we can get so much better in order for us to accomplish that goal to hopefully win a championship."
Part of that leadership role Correa covets is knowing your teammates, and he's already hit the ground running in that regard.
"I just want to get to know my teammates," Correa said. "I want to know them as a person, because I already know the player they are."
He had high praise for his new defensive teammate Byron Buxton, whom he called "a dynamic player." Correa and Buxton were drafted first and second overall, respectively, in the 2012 draft.
"It makes my job easier when you have a guy like Byron on your team," Correa said.
Correa also plans to be a mentor for the Twins' would-be shortstop-in-waiting Royce Lewis, the 2017 first overall pick who has yet to see major league action.
"He reminds me a lot of myself when I was in the minor leagues," Correa said. "The future is bright for him. I love his attitude ... He's baseball 24/7, and when you're like that, success is going to find you."
Correa's contract reportedly has player opt-outs built in after each year, but he and the Twins hope this is a long-term, prosperous partnership.
"We're not seeing this like a one-year thing, we're seeing this as, I want to build a championship culture in this organization," Correa said. "I want to show you guys what I can do and what I can bring to the table so we can have a long-term relationship at some point. So I'm very excited to show them that, to show them what I can do and for this team to start building that championship mentality and that championship level for years to come."