Carlos Correa is undergoing what might be the most intriguing physical in sports with the Mets on Thursday, his agent Scott Boras said shortly after Carlos Rodon’s introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium.
With results expected to come down within the next 24-48 hours, Boras added that — as long as the star shortstop passes his physical and a letter of agreement is drafted and signed — the 12-year, $315 million deal that Correa and the Mets agreed upon in the wee hours of Wednesday morning could become official before Christmas.
So, for the Mets at least, this could very well be what Boras labeled as a “Merry Correamas.”
The two-time All-Star, under the guidance of Boras, pulled out of his 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants after what Boras described as a difference in opinion of his medical, prompting the Giants to cancel his introductory press conference originally scheduled for Tuesday.
It was there in San Francisco that Boras and Correa, in a hotel room, got back to work.
“We received notice from them that they wanted to continue to talk but they needed more time,” Boras said. “But at that point in time, I told them I had to have a decision on whether they’re going to to honor their letter of agreement that we had reached, and they said at that point in time they needed more information. They needed more discussion.
“They couldn’t but they wanted to continue to talk, but at this time they couldn’t go forward and then I advised them that I had to pursue alternative measures on behalf of Carlos with other teams.”
While he and the Giants are prohibited from disclosing medical history, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday that the issue was before Correa was even in the majors — and it hasn’t bothered him since.
“There is no current issue with Carlos his health whatsoever,” Boras said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about backs and ankles and you know, there’s nothing about him that is currently any form of medical issue. All the conjecture and evaluation of him has been about, you know, physicians using their crystal ball for years to come.”
Upon learning of Correa’s return to the market, Mets owner Steve Cohen and the Mets swooped in to re-engage in talks that began last week, but things between the 28-year-old and the Giants were too far down the road to disengage.
Cohen was in Hawaii having dinner on Tuesday night when Boras texted him.
“He just mentioned he had a martini and I said do you have three olives for a great third baseman?” Boras said. “And that’s kind of how we began our process of working through this and a lot of back and forth and discussions of many alternatives.”
Within hours, the Mets and Correa had a deal, and the soon-to-be third baseman was over the moon.
“I called him into the room to let him know that we’d reached an agreement with the Mets and this guy tackled me and he threw me down on the bed,” Boras said. “And I’m going, ‘this guy’s this guy’s a little bit bigger than me,’ he’s got a little bit of linebacker in him because he flopped me pretty good.”
