By adding Carlos Correa, Mets are in historic territory
While vacationing in Hawaii, Mets owner Steve Cohen pulled off a historic middle-of-the-night heist by adding shortstop Carlos Correa. Now the most expensive team in the history of North American sports, the Mets are definitely all-in on 2023 and beyond.
One week after Correa agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants on a 13-year, $350 million contract, the Mets and the shortstop reached an agreement on a 12-year, $315 million contract.
Correa, the AL's Platinum Glove Award winner in 2021, will slide to third base, joining Francisco Lindor on the left side of New York’s infield. The two were teammates on Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team in 2017.
The Mets, who lost to the Padres in the Wild Card Series following a 101-win regular season, needed to add power to their lineup. Their 171 home runs last season in 2022 ranked 16th among MLB teams.
Correa had a .291 batting average with the Twins last season with 22 home runs and an .834 OPS. His 140 wRC+ was 18th in the majors, per FanGraphs.
The 28-year-old won the World Series with Houston in 2017 and has career postseason hitting slashes of .272/.344/.505 with 18 HR and 59 RBIs.
San Francisco was scheduled to introduce Correa on Tuesday, but the news conference was abruptly canceled the morning of. It was later revealed that a medical issue found during Correa’s physical examination concerned the Giants, halting the signing.
Scott Boras, Correa’s agent, told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants did not continue negotiations after discovering the issue, leaving room for Cohen to strike.
Correa's signing puts the Mets in unprecedented territory.
The Mets payroll is estimated at around $384 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The team continues to blow through the “Steve Cohen” luxury tax threshold ($293 million), with the tax payments alone looking to exceed $111 million. The Mets total payroll is projected to be $495 million.
So far, New York has committed to a whopping $806.1 million in contracts this winter.
Correa adds to Cohen’s star-studded collection of players. Each member of the projected starting infield (Correa, Lindor, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil) have played in at least two All-Star games.
New York’s new third baseman should slide into the five-hole in the lineup behind Alonso, but with plenty of viable options, manager Buck Showalter can get creative.
Even after adding Correa, the Mets will make moves, with eyes on another bat and a piece for their bullpen.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported last week that New York is actively shopping catcher James McCann and pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Third baseman Eduardo Escobar could be expendable, but with solid splits against left-handed pitching, the Mets might have better use for him in a platoon role at DH.
In their history, the Mets have only made back-to-back postseason appearances twice, in 1999 and 2000, as well as in 2015 and 2016. With Correa in the mix, New York will likely have its third.
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