OPINION: Steve Cohen, Mets Make Right Decision Passing on Carlos Correa

Three weeks after agreeing to terms on a 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets, Carlos Correa signed a guaranteed six-year, $200 million contract to return to the Minnesota Twins. The Mets front office and owner Steve Cohen ended up passing on the two-time All-Star. Jack Vita writes why he believes the Mets made the right call.

Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins re-signed free agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a guaranteed, six-year, $200 million contract. Three weeks earlier, Correa had a deal in place to join the New York Mets.

Correa was reportedly overjoyed to join the Mets, and according to agent Scott Boras, Correa tackled his agent to a hotel bed out of excitement in response to finding out that he would be joining the club, in December.

Scott Boras says Carlos Correa tackled him in the hotel room when he found out he was going to the Mets:

"He was really happy." pic.twitter.com/72ra8AnZcx

— SNY (@SNYtv) December 22, 2022

Correa's original agreement with the Mets fall apart after he completed his physical. He had previously agreed to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, but also had that deal collapse after he completed his physical for the Giants.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday that the Mets' final offer to Correa was a guaranteed six-year, $157.5 million contract. It would pay Correa $210 million over eight years, and $315 million over 12 years, but only the first six years would be fully guaranteed.

Carlos Correa’s contract is front loaded with an AAV of 33.34M.
The 7th year is guaranteed for $25 million if he has 502 plate appearances in Year 6.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 10, 2023

Correa instead took a guaranteed $200 million over six years from the Twins.

Three weeks ago, Steve Cohen made what appeared to be one of the biggest splashes in Major League Baseball free agent history, when the Mets agreed to terms on a deal with Correa. The signing put the Mets' projected payroll for 2023 around $500 million with luxury tax penalties. Cohen sent a message to Mets fans and other owners that he is not going to be hesitant to spend where he sees fit.

Correa was a luxury buy. The Mets, coming off 101-win season, already have Francisco Lindor locked up at shortstop for the next eight years. Correa would have moved over to third base, a position he hadn't played before in the big leagues.

Correa has landed on the Injured List seven different times during his eight-year Major League career. Earlier in the winter, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that some MLB executives had concerns with Correa's lower back. It wasn't his lower back that raised questions during his physicals, however.

A lower left leg injury Correa sustained in 2014 in the minor leagues caused enough concerns for two different teams to pull out from the pricy deals they each had originally agreed to.

Cohen received a great deal of fanfare, and an equal amount of criticism, when the Mets agreed to terms with Correa three weeks ago. Mets fans were excited to see their owner spend. Cohen's decision to renegotiate a failed deal certainly will receive some criticism from fans that were excited to acquire the two-time All-Star, but Cohen made the right decision.

Even before Correa's physicals, the shortstop has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career. In only one of his eight seasons has Correa played 150 games or more. In five of his big league seasons, Correa has played fewer than 111 games.

Through Correa's eight big league seasons, he has finished top-15 in American League MVP voting just once. Only once has the shortstop been a top-15 player in the American League by that measuring stick. Correa's deal with the Mets, would have made him the one of the highest paid players in the history of the sport.

Given Correa's injury history and newly raised medical concerns, I can't see how a 12-year contract would age well in the slightest. The best hope would be for Correa to perform at an elite level over the next five years, before he hits his mid-30s. Part of Correa performing at an elite level requires him to stay on the field.

If you don't factor in Correa's rookie season, in which he was called-up to the Astros big league club midway through the season, and 2020, when the season was shortened to 60 games due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, Correa has averaged 122 games per year, in his six full MLB seasons.

The Mets don't have a need for another infielder. They're set at shortstop and second base with Lindor and Jeff McNeil. Eduardo Escobar performed well at third base, and the Mets have a pair of promising third base prospects in Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, each of whom could end up being key contributors in 2022.

Steve Cohen was right: Correa needed the Mets more than the Mets needed him.

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