The wait is finally over — and the outcome isn’t what Mets fans wanted to hear. Carlos Correa is in agreement with the Minnesota Twins after the two sides agreed upon a six-year, $200 million deal on Wednesday.
First reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal, which is pending a physical, has a four-year vesting option that can max out at $270 million.
The switch comes nearly three weeks after the 28-year-old, his agent Scott Boras, and the Mets initially agreed upon a 12-year, $315 million deal on Dec. 22 after his 13-year, $350 million pact with the San Francisco Giants fell through after concerns were expressed about his medicals.
Per multiple reports, the Mets’ final offer included the same six years that were guaranteed by the Twins, but for $157.5 million — $43.5 million less than what Minnesota offered. Non-guaranteed options in the proposal also would have paid him $210 after eight years and $315 over 12.
Negotiations were kept tight-lipped for the first two weeks of talks until Boras leaked to Jon Heyman of the New York Post on Jan. 5 that he began fielding calls from another team, believed to be the Minnesota Twins. The Mets appeared to counter a day later when SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the team was “very frustrated” with Correa’s camp and considered “walking away altogether.”
Correa’s surgically repaired lower-right leg stemming from a fractured fibula suffered before he even touched the majors in 2014 is what also rose a red flag with the Mets and thus began the lengthy stalemate as new language was parsed through in hopes of an agreement to secure the star in Queens.
Since his MLB debut in 2015, Correa has slashed .279/.358/.479 (.836 OPS) with 162-game averages of 28 home runs and 101 RBI. It’s important to note, however, that Correa has played more than 140 games in a season just twice over his first eight pro seasons.
He batted .291 with an .834 OPS, 22 home runs, and 64 RBI in 136 games last season with the Twins — his first and only year with the AL Central club after seven with the Astros.
