Six weeks into his six-year, $200 million contract, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is starting to hear it from home fans amid his offensive struggles.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, Correa addressed the boos from Twins fans at Target Field.
"I'd boo myself, too, with the amount of money I'm making, if I'm playing like that," he said.
Correa had an eventful offseason, though probably not for reasons he would have liked. He originally agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants that fell through due to concerns about his physical.
The New York Mets stepped in by agreeing to a 12-year, $315 million contract with Correa, but that deal also fell apart because the Mets expressed doubts about his physical as well.
It was revealed the issue stemmed from an ankle injury Correa suffered in 2014 while playing in the minor leagues. He had surgery to repair the injury, but he hasn't had any ankle problems during his big-league career.
There was one incident last season when Correa appeared to tweak his ankle on a slide into second base during a Sept. 20 game against the Kansas City Royals. He even referenced the hardware that was inserted into his ankle after the game.
"He just hit my plate," Correa told reporters. "I had surgery, and he hit it. Just kind of felt numb. Vibrating. So I was just waiting for it to calm down. It was a little scary, but when I moved I knew it was good."
The Twins knew Correa well after he played for them in 2022. They jumped back in to sign him to a six-year contract worth $200 million in January. He's off to a rough start with a .185/.261/.363 slash line, five homers and 15 RBI in 32 games.
Given Correa's long track record of high-level performance in his MLB career, this will most likely be a rough patch that no one remembers by the time this season ends. The 28-year-old hit .175/.264/.350 in July last year, but he still finished the year with a .834 OPS overall.
The Twins hold a two-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the American League Central.
