STAR SPOTLIGHT: Carlos Correa

After weeks of speculation — and Mets fans dreaming of the team’s first World Series win since 1986 — Carlos Correa didn’t end up going to New York after all.

The star shortstop instead returned to the Twins on Jan. 11, 2022, on a six-year deal worth $200 million.

It’s a far cry from the Mets’ 12-year, $315 million mega-contract offer that was pulled back due to concerns over Correa’s surgically repaired ankle. But no one should feel sorry for Correa, who will still earn upwards of $33 million a year in Minnesota, where he hit .291 with 22 HR in 136 games in 2022 before opting out of his contract.

The Ponce, Puerto Rico, native was the first overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft by the Houston Astros. Correa made his MLB debut in 2015 at the age of 20, and immediately established himself as one of the top shortstops in the league.

In his first full season, he won the American League Rookie of the Year award with 22 HRs and 68 RBI in just 99 games and helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. He also became the youngest shortstop in MLB history to hit a grand slam.

Correa continued to establish himself as one of the best players in baseball over the following years, earning All-Star honors in 2017 and 2021 and being part of the Houston Astros team that won the 2017 World Series.

In 2020 he had an injury shortened season but still was able to help the team make the playoffs again. In 2021, Correa won a Gold Glove and a Platinum Glove as the best defensive shortstop in the AL in his final year as an Astro.

He made a full comeback in 2021 with a solid year at the plate after signing with the Twins, and was selected to his second All-Star team.

Highlights:

2015: MLB debut on June 8, named American League Rookie of the Year. Slashed .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs in 99 games.

2016: Averaged .274/.361/.451 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs in 162 games

Led all AL shortstops in RBIs and finished 4th in home runs.

2017: All-Star, World Series champion with the Houston Astros. Averaged .315/.391/.550 with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs. Led all AL shortstops in home runs and RBIs.

2021: Bats .279 with 26 HR and 92 RBI in his final season as an Astro while winning a Gold Glove.