The New York Mets were able to sign Carlos Correa to a 12-year, $315 million deal only because the San Francisco Giants hesitated after having concerns about a physical that the shortstop had taken. However, according to a shocking development on Saturday morning, they might now be dealing with exactly the same issue that caused the Giants to hit pause on their monumental free-agent signing.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes, the Mets are now raising concerns about Correa’s surgically repaired lower right leg and it could end up causing the team to back out of their massive deal.
The Mets, like the Giants earlier in the week, have raised concerns about Carlos Correa’s surgically repaired lower right leg, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal & @DanHayesMLB.
It could potentially jeopardize the 12-yr, $315 million agreement.
More details ⤵️ https://t.co/HvadTYJjiZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 24, 2022
They learned this information from “people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.”
Per The Athletic, there could be a compromise between the Mets and Correa that includes either a restructured contract or inserting language that would limit financial payouts if the shortstop misses a certain amount of time due to issues with the leg. However, as they note, agent Scott Boras would likely fight the team on anything like that.
The 28-year-old needed arthroscopic surgery to repair a fractured right fibula and minor ligament damage after his spike got stuck on a base in June 2014. In eight seasons, Correa has never been on on the injured list due to any right-leg problem and he played in 148 and 136 games in the past two seasons, respectively.
According to The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins were also interested in re-engaging with Correa but wanted to learn more about the physical issue that slowed the Giants’ announcement before agreeing.
