This Is Not a Dream

Carlos Correa is a New York Met

Good Morning,

When news broke yesterday that Carlos Correa’s press conference to be introduced as a San Francisco Giant was postponed due to a medical concern, I have to admit I had a fleeting thought:

What if the Mets swooped in and signed him?

I then went to sleep so I could dream about something more realistic, like winning the lottery.

I’m here to pinch you, Mets fans. We aren’t dreaming. This is real life. Carlos freaking Correa is a New York Met on a 12-year, $315 million deal that will push the Mets’ 2023 luxury tax payroll to an unprecedented $388 million amount. Steve Cohen is set to write a check for over $114 million in TAXES on that payroll. That means he’s done it; he has spent a 1/2 billion dollars to build a championship roster.

We learned in the hours leading up to Correa originally agreeing to a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants that the Mets were making a late push. We can now imagine what that push might have looked like:

SCENE: [Billy Eppler walks into Cohen’s office with a smug look on his face.]

“Correa is signing with the Giants, but we will still get him,” Eppler says in my fictitious portrayal of events.

“You did the thing? We can’t miss on this guy,” Cohen responds.

“Yes, the doctor will make sure the deal falls through during the physical.”

“How sure are you?”

Eppler:

If you’re not a Billions fan, watch the show!

I wrote a few weeks ago that these are no longer the “lovable” New York Mets. The Yankees were considered the Evil Empire when they spent a lot more than most teams. The Mets are spending more than literally every other team. There’s nobody within $100 million of their luxury tax payroll.

Now they have added one of the most polarizing players in the sport for his part in the Astros sign-stealing scandal.

Everyone is going to hate the Mets. And I freaking love it!

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We’ve talked ad nauseam about the Mets’ payroll. I even spent a newsletter writing about where the tax money goes. The number is going to follow them all season long.

But when you set your focus beyond the dollar signs that have been twinkling in everyone’s eyes, before this morning, it was easy to see this team being essentially the exact same team as last season. Steve Cohen said it, himself, in an interview with Jon Heyman just last week.

“My team is good. But it isn’t that much better than last year,” Cohen said.

Being the same as a 101-win team is totally cool. It’s hard to win 100 games. In fact, it’s more difficult winning 100 than it is making the playoffs, something that happens to 12 teams every season. The Amazins have won 100 only four times in club history.

The front office had signed everybody you could have reasonably expected them to sign, and more. But something still felt incomplete. It still felt like the roster didn’t match the lavish spending. It didn’t feel like this team was overwhelmingly one of the best teams in baseball. Assuming Correa is healthy, this move does it.

“We need one more thing, and this is it,” Cohen told The Post from Hawaii. “This was important … This puts us over the top. This is a good team. I hope it’s a good team!”

$806.1 million in total spending later, Steve Cohen hopes he has a good team. I think he does!

“What the heck’s the difference? If you’re going to make the move make the move,” Cohen added.

Correa will join his fellow countryman, Francisco Lindor, on the left side of the infield, presumably to play third base. His strong arm will prove useful as the new shift rules come into effect. You can picture him batting second between Brandon Nimmo and Lindor in the lineup. A top six of Nimmo, Correa, Lindor, Alonso, McNeil, Marte looks pretty damn good.

The only question mark is what the hell happened during his physical that would cause a team desperate to introduce a new star player to blow up the deal. All we know now is that there was a disagreement between doctors over his physical, as reported by The San Francisco Chronicle late last night:

A source told The Chronicle late Tuesday that doctors had had disagreements over Correa’s physical, which took place Monday in the Bay Area. That was apparently enough to win the day for the Mets, who swooped in and nabbed Correa with a 12-year, $315 million deal.

The Giants had a 13-year, $350 million deal in place with Correa, but it never became official because of issues that surfaced during his physical. Correa has a history of back issues, but one source insisted Correa does not have a back problem. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of a disagreement on that point.

Noting that Correa reportedly doesn’t have a back problem is an important detail. That would be the most obvious issue you would expect to hold up a mega-deal that the Giants were mere hours away from celebrating in a press conference before pulling the plug.

Once there was an opening, Cohen reached out directly to Scott Boras. “We kind of picked up where we were before and it just worked out,” Cohen said, via the NY Post.

I will obviously have much more on this signing in the coming days. Let’s leave it there for now. I still want to catch you up on a few things I had originally set to lead the newsletter before the Correa news broke. What a time to be a Mets fan!

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Hours after introducing Justin Verlander, the Mets cemented a deal to bring back reliever Adam Ottavino on a two-year, $14.5 million contract that includes an opt out after the 2023 season. I will discuss how he fits perfectly alongside David Robertson in a set-up role in a bit.

🗣️ MORE MOVES? The Mets have reportedly been in contact with the White Sox about trading for reliever Liam Hendriks, as first reported by Michael Mayer. This news feels three weeks old now 🤣. However, can we really put it past the Mets to make another jaw-dropping acquisition?

🍎 SAME VISION: Justin Verlander was introduced at a press conference yesterday. Wearing #35, he talked about his conversations with Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler that led to his signing:

“They all share that same vision and passion to do whatever’s necessary to make this a championship-caliber organization again, and really that’s what it came down to for me was wanting to be a part of this vision moving forward,” Verlander said, via Newsday. “Obviously, this organization took a gigantic step forward last year.”

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How do you not like this signing for Ottavino?

Alongside David Robertson, Buck Showalter has two high-leverage, high-usage right-handers he can use to set-up Edwin Díaz. This allows him to mix-and-match against different types of hitters, while preserving both of their arms by offsetting some of their workload.

If Showalter needs someone to throw strikes and induce soft contact, he can call on Ottavino. If he needs someone to spin a curveball against a hitter who struggles with breaking balls, or attack an extra left-handed hitter, he can motion for Robertson. There are so many different options.

This is why adding Robertson earlier in the offseason was so important. It’s not only what you get in him, but how he can complement the rest of your bullpen.

Ottavino struggled against lefties last season. He lacks a third pitch he can rely on against opposite-handed hitters. But as the most reliable high-leverage option late in the game, he might have to face a tough lefty with the three-batter minimum rule. Now Robertson can take those assignments and Ottavino can be saved for other match-ups. Robertson’s cutter and curveball are workable against lefties, and overall, he provides a different look against righties (as illustrated in the graphic above) who would likely see both pitchers in a given series.

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🔗 Carlos Correa agrees to 12-year, $315 million contract with Mets after Giants deal falls through, by Jon Heyman, NY Post: Read the report that broke the stunning news.

🔗 Mets’ Jacob deGrom-Justin Verlander swap is best trade of the offseason, by Jon Heyman, NY Post ($): “Oh, deGrom was elite all right, at least when he made it to the mound. He pitched almost a full season if you add up the last two seasons. As a bonus, Verlander brings a personality and some celebrity with him. When called upon he is engaging. He cares. Even if it’s an act (and I don’t think so, although his wife Kate Upton is a supermodel/actress), it’s a good one. Verlander told us he lived in New York one winter (Battery Park to be precise) to accompany his wife’s work.”

And we leave you with Justin Verlander (only Steve Cohen could steal the headlines from his own superstar’s press conference)…

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