Star shortstop Carlos Correa agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the New York Mets early Wednesday morning, shortly after his previous record deal with the San Francisco Giants fell through Tuesday due to medical concerns.
“We needed one more thing, and this is it,” Mets owner Steve Cohen told The New York Post. “This was important … This puts us over the top. This is a good team. I hope it’s a good team!”
Welcome to New York, Carlos Correa! 🗽 pic.twitter.com/mtHKkHdpxb
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) December 21, 2022
Correa, 28, signed a 13-year, $350 million dollar deal with the SF Giants on Dec. 13, which was the fourth largest in Major League Baseball (MLB) history for total money at the time, according to The Post. The Giants postponed his introductory press conference on Dec. 20 after “a medical concern arose during his physical,” the Associated Press reported.
Correa reopened his free agency after the Giants expressed concerns about the unspecified issue, according to ESPN.
The reported medical concern was only said not to be a back issue, which Correa had dealt with earlier in his career, but has not been a factor the past three seasons, The Post reported.
The Mets had shown strong interest in Correa prior to his signing with the Giants, and owner Steve Cohen moved quickly to negotiate a deal with Correa’s agent Scott Boras within a few hours late Tuesday night, the report continues. Correa’s deal is pending a physical examination.
“We kind of picked up where we were before and it just worked out,” Cohen told The Post. “This really makes a big difference. I felt like our pitching was in good shape. We needed one more hitter. This puts us over the top.”(RELATED: New York Mets Continue Massive Spending Spree, Land Former All-Star Catcher Omar Narvaez).
The two-time All Star and 2015 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year is a career 0.279/0.357/0.479 hitter, with a 39.5 WAR through the past season, according to CBS Sports. He has dealt with various injuries including back and neck, and has only played more than 150 once in his career. The past season he played in 136 games the past season for the Minnesota Twins, hitting .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs, the report continues.
With Correa’s signing, the Met’s total estimated payroll for 2023 will be just below $500 million, including $111 million in luxury taxes, which is the largest in MLB history, according to ESPN.
Since free agency began, the Mets signed:
– Carlos Correa, $315M
– Brandon Nimmo, $162M
– Edwin Díaz, $102M
– Justin Verlander, $86.6M
– Kodai Senga, $75M
– Jose Quintana, $26M
– Omar Narvaez, $15M
– Adam Ottavino, $14.5M
– David Robertson, $10MTotal outlay: $806.1 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2022
“What the heck’s the difference? If you’re going to make the move make the move,” Cohen told The Post. “I hope the fans show up.”