'All avenues open' as Twins hope to re-sign shortstop Carlos Correa

While Carlos Correa opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Twins, his tenure with the organization might not be finished.

The Twins are among teams pursuing the free-agent shortstop in hopes of signing him to a new deal. The Twins initially landed his services in March, when he signed a three-year, $105.3 million deal after leaving the Houston Astros. But it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Correa wanted a long-term contract and would look for that this offseason.

At the baseball winter meetings in San Diego, the shortstop free-agent market has been a main storyline . And the Twins are clearly aiming for Correa's return. Manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday said both sides shared what they wanted during a recent dinner.

"We're very comfortable with each other. He's a guy that we obviously want and care a lot about and think can be an enormous factor for us for a long time, playing at shortstop and leading," Baldelli said. "... We think we've positioned ourselves well to be one of the highest-priority options for him. So we feel good about that. We just have to let things play out."

Correa was a strong addition to the Twins offensively and defensively, and quickly became a vocal clubhouse leader, including mentoring young players like Jose Miranda.

Baldelli said Correa has stayed in touch with the Twins since the season ended, reaching out to his teammates and staff like hitting coach Dave Popkins to keep tabs on everyone's offseasons.

"We've gone after him, and we know what he offers. And what he offers, we want and need. And we want him here. So I think we've made that clear," Baldelli said. "... We know we need to continue to get better. We know we need to have all avenues open, and that includes signing some of the best free agents available. He's certainly at the very top of the list, and there are some other very good guys out there, too. But we need to stay nimble and be ready.

"Adding a shortstop like him is very important. And it's one of the highest priorities that we have this offseason."

Moving up

The first MLB draft lottery on Tuesday night was kind to the Twins. Slated to pick at No. 13, they moved all the way to No. 5 for the 2023 draft in June.

Pittsburgh won the first overall pick, followed by Washington, Detroit and Texas.

The Twins had the 13th worst record in the majors at 78-84.

Farmer's position

The Twins have a backup option if they get blanked in shortstop free agency. They traded a pitching prospect to Cincinnati for Kyle Farmer in mid-November, and Farmer can play multiple positions, including catcher and shortstop. He hit .255 with 78 RBI and 14 homers for the Reds last season.

"He's going to be one of those versatile infielders that can play what's the most demanding spot in the infield at shortstop but also move and play other spots for us, too," Baldelli said.

"He's going to find a way to get plenty at-bats and contribute in a lot of different ways. What our roster looks like in spring training and once the season starts, we don't know. So all of our guys know that. We have multiple guys that they could end up playing a different spot than maybe what they're anticipating right now."

Etc.

• Baseball America named the St. Paul Saints the top Class AAA franchise in minor league baseball for 2022.