More than two weeks have passed since then Carlos Correa And the Mets agreed to the terms of a 12-year contract. That came within hours after his contract with the Giants fell through due to club concerns about his physicality. New York took a similar rant on Correa’s right foot during their own inspection days later, leaving one of the market’s top free agents in some murky spot.
Since the Mets expressed concern over Correa’s body days before Christmas, the Mets and the two-time All-Star camp remain optimistic about their ability to resolve the issue. Correa’s representatives at the Corporation were in contact only with the Mets as they worked to finalize the deal. That’s clearly about to change, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports this afternoon that Boras has been involved with at least one other team regarding Correa.
To be clear, Correa is not leaving the Mets. Indeed, they still seem to be his most likely destinations.A Mets official told Heyman that he was confident Correa could complete the deal, even if he started negotiations with at least one more team.Andy Martino, also of SNY murmured The Mets and Correa camps continued to work toward a resolution this afternoon.
That said, it’s worth noting that another club is at least back on the fringes. The Washington Post’s Mike Puma reported last week that at least three other teams had reached out to Correa after a physical confrontation with the Mets. At the time, Correa was not participating in any such debate, so today’s development marks a notable change in his faction’s tack.
Heyman wrote today that the Twins were one of the clubs to attempt to re-sign Correa at some point in the past few weeks. , hoped to bring him back. They reportedly made a 10-year, $285 million offer earlier in the winter, but the $350 million the Giants had originally set to guarantee Correa and the $300 million offered by the Mets. Both fell short of $15 million. According to multiple reports, Minnesota didn’t make that offer between the time the Giants signed the deal and the deal with New York. It’s not clear, but it’s natural to have their own concerns about the condition of Correa’s legs until or unless they do physicals.
Minnesota still have vacancies at shortstop and have makeshift veterans Kyle Farmer It looks to be the current favorite in position. It’s unclear which other teams may be involved. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters last week that the club is unlikely to return to Correa.The Braves and Red Sox have lost their star shortstops in free agency this winter, but at no point in the offseason neither tied particularly strongly with Correa. It seems unlikely, but Boston just agreed to terms Rafael Devers Yesterday, with an extension of $313.5MM.
The Orioles, who had a loose connection with Correa at one point, never seemed to make a serious run in free agency at the top of the market. The Dodgers reportedly had little interest in Correa thanks to his 2017 Astros ties.
All things considered, the Twins appear to be the strongest contenders for the Mets. That seems to depend on whether negotiations with New York break down. Heyman characterizes these arguments as “sticky”, but there is nothing to suggest they are in dire straits.
According to multiple reports in recent weeks, the Mets are looking to add language that would allow Correa to cancel parts of his contract if he sustains a serious injury to his right leg. We first reported that such a concept was being discussed.Ken Rosenthal repeated it The Athletic Podcast On Tuesday, it suggested the deal would need some modifications to protect the Mets in the event of an injury.
Heyman agreed with these reports, writing that the Mets are adamant about including some kind of injury provision. I am not going to add. But they clearly want to build a way to allow Correa to lower that guarantee and/or terminate his contract early if he spends a certain amount of time on the injured list. I have a problem with my right legBoth sides must agree on how long such an IL stint must be and how many years or dollars may be voided in the event of an injury, and if these issues are It seems that the final decision on the contract is being delayed.
Clauses of this kind are rare, but not entirely unprecedented.As an example, a fellow Boras Corporation client JD Martinez He changed his contract with the Red Sox during the 2018-19 offseason after the team pointed out foot problems during his physicals. Both teams moved forward on an agreed five-year, $110 million framework, but a provision allowing the Red Sox to opt out of the final two years of the contract should Martinez suffer another leg injury. was included. A lengthy injury list stint (as reported by Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston at the time).
In this case, the Mets continue to try to create a similar provision. It’s not yet decided where the twisted narrative will go next, but it will remain the offseason’s main storyline until Correa officially hits a deal somewhere.
