For a moment, it looked like Steve Cohen’s great season might have one last great run. But it didn’t happen.
Focusing on the lineup — after an offseason largely devoted to filling holes in the pitching staff — the Mets have expressed interest in All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, sources confirmed Tuesday night before the Giants agreed to a deal with him. – year, $350 million contract. The Athletic first reported the Mets’ interest in Correa.
A club source described the Mets as trying to remain “opportunistic” but added that there was “doubt” the team would sign the 28-year-old Correa, who would likely move to third base with Francisco Lindor.
Correa spent last season with the Twins — who opted out of his contract in November — for which he posted a .291/.366/.467 slash line with 22 homers and 64 RBI.
The Mets’ salary cap for next season is $345 million after signing Justin Verlander, Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana and David Robertson over the past 1.5 weeks. As a team above the top level of the competitive balance tax, it will be obligated to pay approximately $421 million in salary for next season, including penalties.
But signing Correa would have catapulted the Mets’ payroll and CBT into another stratosphere. The other two top shortstops on the free agent market, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts, received 11-year contracts worth $300 million and $280 million, respectively. Turner signed with the Phillies and Bogaerts with the Padres.
The Twins and Cubs have been linked with Correa, who spent most of his career with the Astros.
Correa is represented by Scott Boras, and Cohen and the mega-agent are said to have developed a good relationship over the past two winters. Last season, Boras client Max Scherzer received a three-year, $140 million contract from the Mets. And last week, Nimmo (who hired Boras as his agent last winter) received an eight-year, $162 million contract to stay with the Mets.
Last season, the Mets finished fifth in MLB in scoring, but their lineup was swept by the Braves in three games to decide the NL East race. The Mets were similarly quiet offensively in their top-three wild-card loss to the Padres.
At the very least, the Mets are still looking for another outfielder who can bolster Nimmo, Starling Marte and Mark Canha.
Cohen approved contracts worth $465 million this season.
“It shows that the Mets are all in,” Daniel Vogelbach said at a community service event in Queens on Tuesday. “When you sign up to play a sport, you sign up to win. That’s why you play. It’s nice to be part of a team that wants to win.
“You have the squad and you still have to play. It’s hard to win no matter what product you put out, but when you feel like you have the support of ownership and the front office and they put out the best product possible to win as many games as possible. That’s what you want if they try to do it. to be a part of.”
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