Carlos Correa watch is on the verge of entering its third week. But could it stop before then? It looks like that may be the case. Finally.
The free-agent shortstop and the Mets agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal in principle on December 21st. Then, reports surfaced on Christmas Eve that New York (like the San Francisco Giants) had an issue with his surgically repaired right leg.
And we’ve been seemingly in a holding pattern ever since. That’s mostly been the case because public leaks of negotiations haven’t happened. So, it’s just been reporters grasping for straws when it comes to giving legitimate updates.
But we’re almost there, folks. No, really — it seems like we’re as close as we’ve ever been. SNY’s Andy Martino provided the following update:
There have been lots of ongoing discussions between Mets and Carlos Correa's camp about Correa's contract language, a lot of it between lawyers. Situation remains quiet in public, but sides working toward a resolution.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 5, 2023
So, it’s kind of what we expected the holdup to be at this point. Getting through the legal ramifications of any contract takes more time than anyone would like to admit. The likelihood of it taking even longer goes up when it involves the contract terms Correa and the Mets originally agreed to.
The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal said earlier this week that Correa’s finalized deal with New York will look “dramatically different” than the original 12-year, $315 million terms. But then again, it didn’t sound like he was sure how dramatically different it’d actually be.
Regardless of what the contract terms look like, all I have to say is… Amen. It’s about damn time. The Mets need to finally put a bow on this and move on to other important to-do list items. There’s nothing wrong with taking the time necessary to get this right and make sure everyone is happy/satisfied. Also, his being or not being on the roster drastically changes how New York moves forward.
However, things have basically come to a standstill until the Correa deal becomes official. Now it’s time to wrap it up and get this show on the road. New York has a roster to put the finishing touches on. And they also need to schedule that long anticipated introductory press conference for their new third baseman.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
