Twins' Carlos Correa opting out of contract

Add another premier shortstop to the MLB free-agent market.

Carlos Correa told El Nuevo Día newspaper that he will opt out of the second year of his three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, ESPN reported.

"With the year that I have had, my health and my being at the best moment of my career at 28, that is the right decision," Correa told the newspaper.

Correa, who was seeking a long-term deal in last year's free-agent cycle before landing in Minnesota, added that he is open to re-signing with the Twins. 

"I have a good relationship with Minnesota. I am very interested in being able to return," he said. "I have been in this business for a long time, and I know that things do not always go the way one wants them to."

The two-time All-Star accumulated 22 home runs and 64 RBIs while hitting .291/.366/.467 across 136 games in 2022, missing some time with a finger injury. Minnesota went 78-84 this season and fell short of the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

Correa spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Houston Astros, reaching the playoffs every year and winning a World Series in 2017. The 28-year-old star joins Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and potentially Xander Bogaerts (he has a player option for the 2023 season) on the free-agent shortstop market this offseason.