Twins pick up Gray's option, decline on Sanó, Archer, Bundy

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins’ quartet of option decisions to open this offseason was rather clear-cut, and Monday brought no surprises in that regard, as the club exercised its $12.7 million club option for right-hander Sonny Gray for the 2023 season while declining options for first baseman Miguel Sanó and righties Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer.

These weren't particularly difficult decisions, as Gray will serve as the anchor of what could be, on paper, one of the stoutest Twins rotations in recent memory alongside Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, with the likes of Josh Winder, Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland waiting in the wings as depth options -- making it unnecessary for Bundy and Archer to return at sharply increased salaries.

There’s plenty of depth there, but also plenty of uncertainty, as Maeda will be coming off a Tommy John recovery, Mahle dealt with lingering shoulder fatigue at the end of the 2022 season and Ober missed most of last season with groin issues. That’s why Gray’s presence is so important as a veteran, stabilizing force after posting a 3.08 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings in ‘22 while dealing with on-and-off hamstring troubles.

The most notable departure amid the trio of declined options is that of Sanó, once a can’t-miss top prospect expected to be an anchor of the next great Twins teams of the late 2010s who showcased immense power and upside at times but ultimately couldn’t find lasting consistency on the field in a tumultuous eight-year career with Minnesota.

Minnesota chose to pay Sanó’s $2.75 million buyout in lieu of the $14 million salary that would have been required to keep him under contract for the final year of an extension negotiated after the 2019 season that guaranteed him three years and $30 million, in addition to this club option for ‘23.

Sanó, the third-place finisher in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2015, made his only All-Star team in ‘17 and undoubtedly had his best season in ‘19 as part of the “Bomba Squad,” posting a .923 OPS with a career-high 34 homers in 105 games. He never again reached those highs, limited to just 20 games in his final Twins season due to a meniscus tear and lingering knee injuries following his recovery.

The slugger’s 162 career home runs with the Twins place him just outside the club’s all-time top 10, behind ninth-place Brian Dozier (167) and 10th-place Tom Brunansky (163), but those came with a massive helping of strikeouts that proved difficult to ignore in the later years, with Sanó holding the top four places for most single-season strikeouts in club history.

In all, he hit .234/.326/.482 (an .808 OPS) with 162 homers and 123 doubles in 694 career games with the Twins across third base, first base, designated hitter and a brief, ill-fated experiment in right field. He brought game-changing power and a gregarious clubhouse personality -- but Minnesota has now reached a point where Alex Kirilloff, Jose Miranda and Luis Arraez are its best options at first base.

Correa exercises opt-out clause
Everyone knew it was coming, and on Monday, it became official: Carlos Correa is no longer employed by the Minnesota Twins, with the superstar shortstop choosing to opt out of the final two seasons of his three-year, $105.3 million deal in search of the long-term contract that eluded him last offseason, as was first reported by El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico last month.

Even in another crowded shortstop class in free agency that will feature Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson in the high-end market, Correa should finally be in line to land that long-term contract considering his age (28), expansive playoff experience and leadership ability.

Correa landed with the Twins following the chaos posed by the lockout before the 2022 season and was his typical self on the field, posting his highest batting average since '17, hitting .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 24 doubles, matching his highest offensive bWAR (5.2) since '17. He was also an important focal presence in a young clubhouse, growing close with Byron Buxton while serving as a mentor for Puerto Rican infielder Jose Miranda and others.

The Twins have had this period to negotiate a long-term extension with Correa, but no such deal came as president of baseball operations Derek Falvey noted in October that the Twins were continuing to look for “creative” solutions with Correa and super-agent Scott Boras. They’re still free to sign Correa to that long-term deal, but now, they’ll have to contend with the rest of the market -- which will include deep-pocketed spenders in search of a splashy shortstop.

Regardless, the Twins are now in the market for a starting shortstop this offseason (as they’d been expecting all along), along with a catcher amid an otherwise wide-open blank slate of needs.