What Loss of Carlos Correa Means for New York Mets

What the loss of Carlos Correa means for Mets.

After talks went south between the two sides due to medical concerns over his right ankle, the Mets lost Carlos Correa to the Minnesota Twins on a six-year, $200 million deal.

All of a sudden, after all the money billionaire owner Steve Cohen spent this offseason, $576 million approximately on a slew of players, the Mets remain a bat short.

The Mets' luxury tax payroll is sitting around $363 million, however, they're bringing back the same lineup from a season ago, which fizzled out down the stretch of the season and in the Wild Card round.

New York re-signed center fielder Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year, $162 million deal and exercised DH Daniel Vogelbach's $1.5 million club option. By retaining this duo, and losing Correa, the Mets have their identical lineup returning in 2023.

Now, unless top prospects Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty emerge as viable offensive options in the big-leagues this season, which could happen but can't be relied on, the Mets will have to acquire a bat ahead of the trade deadline.

Unlike last season, the Mets cannot afford to whiff at the deadline. That's because  they have a 40-year-old Justin Verlander and a 39-year-old Max Scherzer atop their rotation, meaning they're in win-now mode.

So, losing Correa was a tough blow because it was the move that put the Mets' offense over the top. Without him, they look to be a bat short, like they were in the end of last season, despite finishing top five in runs scored.

By not signing Correa, the Mets are still in good shape, as they've assembled close to the same team that won 101-games. But on the other hand, they missed out on the move to put them over the top when Correa bolted for Minnesota.

Correa would've solved a lot of problems offensively, but now Eduardo Escobar will remain the Mets' starting third baseman until Baty is ready.

What the loss of Correa means exactly, is that the prospects must step up this season, or the Mets must acquire an impact bat at the deadline.

The prospects will likely get their shot to prove themselves in the first half, but if they struggle, the Mets will have to pull the trigger on a big bat via trade.

Read More:

- Mets Showing Interest in Zack Britton

- Carlos Correa Bolts Talks With Mets to Sign With Twins

- Mets Sign Tim Locastro to Minor League Deal

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.