Carlos Correa was third of the four marquee shortstops to agree to a new contract in free agency this winter, but unlike last offseason, that didn’t come with needing to sign a short-term deal.
Whereas Corey Seager received a megadeal before the MLB lockout began, and Correa ultimately was left to sign a three-year pact with the Minnesota Twins, the San Francisco Giants presented him with the largest contract for an infielder in MLB history at 13 years and $350 million.
Correa signing with the Giants was first reported on December 14. He was scheduled to be introduced by the team on Tuesday, but that reportedly was canceled due to the Giants raising issue over results from Correa’s physical.
Some 12 hours after the scheduled press conference was put on hold, Correa agreed to sign with the New York Mets, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
Breaking: Carlos Correa and the Mets have a deal. $315M, 12 years.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 21, 2022
Complete details of what concerned Giants medical personnel have not been made public. Correa’s new agreement with the Mets is pending a physical as well, but that is largely expected to be a formality.
Prior to agreeing with the Giants, Correa drew varying levels of reported interest from the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees before the Mets were a late entrant.
In signing with the Mets, Correa adds to what’s been quite the spending spree by owner Steve Cohen. The Mets have also signed Brandon Nimmo ($162 million), Edwin Díaz ($102 million), Justin Verlander ($86.66 million), Kodai Senga ($75 million), Jose Quintana ($26 million), Omar Narvaez ($15 million), Adam Ottavino ($14.5 million) and David Robertson ($10 million).
Mets payroll with Carlos Correa
Despite the new collective bargaining agreement including a “Steve Cohen tax” threshold to deter a team from freely spending, the Mets owner has been unabashed in his pursuit of assembling a talented roster.
After signing Correa, the Mets payroll for 2023 projects to be in the neighborhood of $380 million, with an additional $100-plus million in taxes to bring the final total close to $500 million.
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