He said the words.

Carlos Correa, who has the right to void the final two years (and $70.2 million in salary) of his three-year contract, spent the summer hinting but never declaring his intention to do so.

But that changed this week, when Correa told El Nuevo Dia, a newspaper in his homeland of Puerto Rico, that he will indeed invoke the opt-out clause in his contract, saying "that's the right decision."

Correa has until five days after the World Series ends next month to make his decision official.

The decision is not a surprise, of course; the final two seasons of his contract were always understood to serve as an insurance policy for the two-time All-Star shortstop, to guarantee him a substantial income if he suffered a serious injury. But the opportunity to seek a multi-year contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps even approaching Bryce Harper's richest-ever $330 million deal, which was negotiated by Correa's agent Scott Boras, is too valuable to pass up.

Throughout his summer with the Twins, Correa repeated several times his willingness to remain in Minnesota — but he also made it clear that the Twins would have to be among the highest bidders for him to do so.

"When I go to the mall, and I go to the Dior store, when I want something, I get it. I ask how much it costs, and I buy it," Correa advised his team's front office during the season's final week. "If you really want something, you just go get it. I'm the product here. If they want my product, they've just got to come and get it."

Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, said Monday the Twins intend to pursue their shortstop, perhaps invoking "creative ways" to reach a deal. But it would require a commitment of a size the Twins have never made. Joe Mauer's $184 million contract, over eight seasons, is the largest contract the Twins have ever signed.