CLEVELAND – Carlos Correa started his first career game at third base Friday, after playing 1,193 games at shortstop, during his first game back with the Houston Astros following his surprise trade deadline deal.
It was a change Correa contemplated for years. As a free agent prior to the 2023 season, before signing with the Twins for a second time, he agreed to play third base for the New York Mets before his 12-year, $315 million contract was nixed because of medical concerns around his ankle.
Correa asked manager Rocco Baldelli at least twice about moving to third base during his Twins career, Baldelli confirmed. It was brought up after the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“He brought up the question of playing third base after seasons ended, so he could prepare if it were to happen going forward,” Baldelli said. “As we know, finding good shortstops, it’s a very difficult thing to do. It was something that we thought about and considered, but we didn’t necessarily have the ability to do with the way our infield fit together.”
The conversations about moving Correa to third base during his Twins career didn’t last long. Royce Lewis initially came up through the minor leagues as a shortstop, but he was blocked at the big-league level by Correa. After he underwent two surgeries to repair a ligament in his knee, he shifted to third base during the 2023 season.
The Twins contemplated moving Lewis to second base last winter, but that was not related to changing Correa’s position for this season. Brooks Lee debuted last year, but he wasn’t guaranteed a spot on the big-league roster entering spring training.
“For [Correa’s] time with us, he played a very good shortstop,” Baldelli said. “To move a guy off shortstop who is playing a really good shortstop for you, we weren’t going to do that.”
The Twins might have considered moving Correa after this season — his defense took a step backward this year with less range — but they didn’t want change Correa’s position after one season into his six-year, $200 million contract.
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