Normally, when an agreement between a player and a team is reported, it doesn’t take long for things to become official. But the Carlos Correa saga has been anything but normal. It was weird enough when his reported deal with the San Francisco Giants fell through. Now, things with the New York Mets are growing more uneasy.
Shortly after the deal with the Giants went up in flames due to an issue with his physical, reports emerged that Correa had signed with the Mets. In fact, New York’s owner, Steve Cohen even publicly commented on the matter, a rare practice for executives before things are official. But the Mets have also found medical issues with Correa and now, doubt seems to be growing that the two sides will come to an actual agreement.
Mike Puma, who covers the Mets for the New York Post, reported on Monday that the odds still likely favor Correa ending up with the Mets. Those odds, though aren’t much better than 50/50.
“There is optimism a deal can still be completed between Correa and the Mets, with one source on Monday placing the likelihood at 55 percent that the two sides find common ground,” Puma reported. Among the possibilities is added contract language that would protect the Mets from financial responsibility if Correa’s pre-existing condition sidelined him for an extended stretch. Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, worked out a similar contract clause with J.D. Martinez following a five-year agreement with the Red Sox for $110 million.”
Puma added that “the belief is Correa — whose strong preference is to play for the Mets — isn’t open to restructuring the length or financial terms of the contract. At least three teams have been in contact with Correa’s camp in recent days, but Correa remains committed for now to trying to finalize his deal with the Mets.”
San Francisco and New York both made substantial financial commitments to Correa. In both cases, the length was more notable. Correa’s deal with San Francisco was reported at $350 million over 13 years. The deal with New York was 12 years at $315. So, the Giants were giving Correa an average annual value of $26.9 million while the Mets were at $26.25. For a player of Correa’s caliber, neither AAV rate is all that excessive.
Correa is 28, so either deal would have taken him into his 40s. While Correa’s production has been fantastic, his durability has not. Correa has played 140 games in a season only twice and has only reached 150 once.
It’s certainly valid to be concerned about committing to a player into his 40s, when health has been a consistent concern for him through his early and mid-20s. This is particularly true when issues are showing up during a physical.
As was the case with the Giants, the longer things go before they become official, the better the odds are that Correa will end up with a team other than the Mets.
