While a recent Instagram story from Carlos Correa signaled his contract with the Mets could soon be finalized, Ken Rosenthal had to stir the pot again.
Rosenthal talked about Correa’s situation on a recent episode of The Athletic Baseball Show. Joe DeMayo of SNY broke down two of the quotes that have made their way around the internet since Tuesday evening:
He followed up with: “I would assume this week we see resolution and then we see the Mets spring into further action. They’re going to need to make some other trades, they have traded McCann and would trade Escobar if they finalize Correa. And you may see some other things.”
— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) January 3, 2023
This is probably the most meaningful update we’ve gotten in a few days. But is this actually an update at all?
In one breath, Rosenthal says the contract is expected to look “dramatically different” from the original 12-year, $315 million agreement. He then finishes that same thought by asking if the deal will change.
Rosenthal is one of the most connected reporters in baseball, so his opinion carries a bunch of weight. But it’s just hard for me to take this without a grain of salt because he’s saying two different things.
And although this feels like a meaningful update, it’s not sharing any Earth-shattering news. We’re approaching two weeks since The Athletic reported New York shared similar concerns with Correa’s medicals as the San Francisco Giants did. If the deal wasn’t going to look different in a significant way, why would it take this long to become official?
One of the various Correa reports said the infielder has no interest in changing the original terms of his agreement. That’s also not shocking because what player would? If Rosenthal’s reporting is accurate, though, it sounds like a compromise will be made.
How could the original agreement change? Maybe it’s just altered language to protect the Mets should the leg/ankle in question eventually become an issue. This would be similar to what the Tigers did with Ivan Rodriguez in 2004 and what the Red Sox did with J.D. Martinez in 2018.
Maybe there are player opt-outs added to provide extra incentives. It’s also possible some portion of the end of Correa’s contract isn’t guaranteed but can be triggered under agreed-upon stipulations.
One thing that I think is important to Correa and agent Scott Boras is the overall earning potential. After watching his $350 million deal with the Giants fall apart, Boras asked Mets owner Steve Cohen if he had “three olives for a third baseman“. It seems like at least having an opportunity to earn $300 million (even if it’s not guaranteed) is significant. That’s just my own speculation, though.
Rosenthal thinks a resolution will happen this week and thank goodness for that. The Mets want this to get done and to get it done right, but they also have other things to do.
The most critical part of all, though? Making sure Correa is happy, feels appreciated, and doesn’t feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under him. With the past regime, that probably would’ve been a certainty. But Cohen is determined to build relationships with players. We saw how it probably played a role in closer Edwin Diaz wanting to quickly re-sign:
Steve Cohen on having players come to his house for dinner (as he recently did with Edwin Díaz:
"They're important to me and I want to let them know that they're important to me. It's not just you give me performance and I pay you, I think it should be beyond that."
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) August 31, 2022
This whole ordeal is dragging on for what feels like forever for a few reasons, in my opinion. First, the holidays definitely played a role. Second, the sheer magnitude of the agreement makes it tougher to work through. Lastly, both sides have continually been committed to getting a deal done. So, they want to get it done right for everyone involved.
We could finally have some concrete answers on Correa and the Mets in the coming days. But, like many of the reports that have been released the past week or so, there really isn’t a ton of brand-new information to digest here.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
