Carlos Correa‘s dreams of getting a $300 million contract might be over.
At least that’s the impression around the industry after his physical raised issues with a second organization in a span of days.
In December, Correa agreed to a $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, but the deal collapsed when they found something they did not like in his physical.
A few days after that, he agreed to a $315 million contract with the New York Mets, but again his physical raised some concerns.
There is apparently a considerable degree of worry about a foot injury from when he was a minor leaguer.
As a result, his revised deal with the Mets is expected to be much, much different.
“‘We expect it to be a dramatically different deal.’ – Ken Rosenthal on Carlos Correa’s potential new contract with the Mets,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted.
"We expect it to be a dramatically different deal." – Ken Rosenthal on Carlos Correa's potential new contract with the Mets pic.twitter.com/RDdtqy0kZq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) January 3, 2023
Teams get really creative these days with contracts, so there are ways for teams to protect themselves.
The Julio Rodriguez pact with the Seattle Mariners is an example: with club and player options kicking in at some point, both parties can get some protection.
An incentive-laden contract could also work, and, ultimately, a shorter deal may end up taking place.
At this point, it’s hard to see the Mets or any other team handing a 12 or 13-year contract to Correa as things stand.
A shorter deal with a higher AAV (average annual value) and an opt out after, say, three or four seasons might also work.
This is the time to get creative for the Mets if they want to protect themselves against future injury-related inconveniences regarding Correa.
NEXT: Mets Fans Are Tired Of Playing The Waiting Game