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Carlos Correa is no longer a Minnesota Twin. Now what?

Correa opting out of the final two years of his three-year, $105.3 million contract was almost certain to be the outcome from the moment he was first introduced as a member of the Twins back in March. Both sides said all the right things throughout the season, and Correa really did seem to enjoy his time with the Twins and gave his all to the franchise -- on and off the field.

But Correa was always going to want his long-term deal, one that would allow him to put his mark on a franchise as its focal point for the better part of a decade. That team will, evidently, find him on the shelf at the Dior store.

That leaves the Twins in need of a new starting shortstop -- and that player will likely mark their fifth different Opening Day shortstop in six years. What options do they have?

Can they find an internal solution?

Realistically, no. The answer was “no” even before Jermaine Palacios was claimed off waivers by the Tigers immediately after the regular season, and it's certainly even more of a “no” after that. The heirs apparent at shortstop within the organization are Royce Lewis and 2022 first-round Draft selection Brooks Lee -- and Lewis is likely to be rehabbing from his re-torn ACL into the summer, while Lee likely still needs seasoning.

Do they have other internal options who are theoretically capable of playing shortstop? Sure. Jorge Polanco was their Opening Day shortstop in 2017, '19 and '20, but he's found a good home -- offensively and defensively -- at second base, and the Twins prefer not to mess with that. Nick Gordon came up as a shortstop, but his value is so much greater in his ability to fill in around the infield and outfield instead of being pinned to one spot.

With all that in mind, it looks doubtful that the Opening Day shortstop is currently in the organization.

How about bringing back Correa?

This will be easier said than done. The Twins' decision-makers have never given a free agent a larger guarantee than the $105.3 million they offered to Correa last offseason, or a longer guarantee than the four years they gave Josh Donaldson before the '20 season. Realistically, that's the reason why this seems like a long shot, especially as president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has continued to speak of searching for a “creative” solution with Correa.

Here are the arguments for doing it, though. Ahead of the Donaldson signing, general manager Thad Levine spoke of the need to open a window of contention, and then press the issue with signings to put the team over the top. With all this payroll flexibility and a young group in hand, why not get this signing out of the way now, when a free agent of Correa's caliber has spoken so glowingly of Minnesota -- which hasn't traditionally been an appealing destination for top free agents?

It is a big risk, but free agents of Correa's caliber don't come along often -- especially with the trend of teams locking down their young starting players to lucrative extensions long before they're due for arbitration or free agency. Plus, inflation and increasing revenues will likely mean that this contract could be a smaller portion of payroll in the future -- and considering Correa's leadership, he would still provide plenty of value if his physical skills don't age well and/or he has to move off shortstop.

So, who else is out there?

The Twins have already shed about $67 million worth of commitments from their Opening Day salary in '22, with needs at shortstop and catcher. They could perhaps make a trade for a stopgap shortstop, but they traded away so many prospects at the Trade Deadline and have so much money available that it seems simpler to just sign someone.

Whether it's on the pitching staff or for a bat, shedding all that payroll does give the Twins leeway to make a splash somewhere. If, say, they could get Dansby Swanson on a four-year or five-year commitment instead of six or seven, that could be in their previous range for such deals -- and, with Falvey's belief that there's no such thing as too many talented up-the-middle players in an organization, they can just work to figure out where Lewis and Lee will fit.

Beyond the big four -- Correa, Swanson, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts -- the market  drops off precipitously -- and at that point, the Twins would either be looking at a one-year commitment to Elvis Andrus or José Iglesias, pinning their hopes on Lewis' and Lee's quick development.