Another episode of “As the Carlos Correa negotiations turn” aired on Thursday night. Did you miss it? Jon Heyman of the New York Post first gave us the general “A deal is going to get done” article before sharing one saying Scott Boras and Co. have engaged with another team or two outside of the Mets.
If you’re looking for timestamps, they were shared by Heyman on Twitter about an hour and a half apart from one another. So, we’ve got two very different perspectives/reports in less than two hours. What should we believe?
Well, if recent history is used, a finalized agreement between the Mets and Correa could be imminent. Let me explain.
Really, now? After two-plus weeks?
The Mets agreed in principle to Correa’s 12-year, $315 million deal back on December 21st. We’ve heard virtually nothing (at least, nothing truly substantial) regarding the negotiations between both sides since it was reported the Mets had an issue with the free agent’s physical/medicals.
If there’s been one consistent theme here, it’s that Carlos Correa and his representation have been focused on finishing a deal with New York. Suddenly, we’ve seen a few reports hit the newswire this week, and they’re suddenly engaging one or two other teams? I’m not buying it.
Many people have mentioned the following on Twitter since Heyman’s second report was initially shared. This feels like Boras trying to squeeze one last little bit of leverage out of the Mets. It’s one of his classic moves, and he does it quite often. In fact, he just did it before Carlos Rodon agreed to terms with the Yankees.
They were reportedly holding out for seven years and $200 million. And despite the Bronx being Rodon’s preferred destination, the Twins and Cardinals were reportedly still in play. We heard about this around December 13th. By December 15th, Rodon and the Yankees had agreed on a six-year, $162 million deal.
Don’t forget about the Brandon Nimmo news
Remember how it seemed unlikely that Brandon Nimmo — another Boras client — would be re-signing with the Mets? New York had just signed Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana, and many of us thought the chances of the club’s homegrown outfielder returning were slim. Mostly because it didn’t fit the payroll narrative that was out there.
At 2:25 pm EST on December 8th, Sports Illustrated published an article saying the following:
Nimmo’s market is robust and he is going to draw a contract that could be north of $125 million. The Mets remain in on Nimmo, but there is pessimism regarding their chances of retaining him.
By 5:45 pm EST that same day, news dropped of the Mets agreeing to terms with Nimmo on his eight-year, $162 million deal.
This is not to discount the reporting at all. It just shows a bit of a pattern.
There’s optimism in the ‘pessimistic’ Correa report
Within that very report where Heyman said a couple of other teams (including the Minnesota Twins) are re-engaging about Correa, he shared there’s still optimism a deal gets done with New York. Seriously:
It isn’t known how serious those talks with outside teams may be, but one Mets person, who said he was aware Correa’s camp was at least touching base with others, still struck a note of faith that the Mets would get it done when he predicted, “Ultimately, I don’t think Mr. Cohen is going to let him go,” referring to club owner Steve Cohen.
We’ve seen enough of Steve Cohen as Mets owner to know that if he really wants something, it gets done. We know he really wanted Correa before he agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants. Cohen also said this to the New York Post after actually landing Carlos Correa:
This really makes a big difference. This puts us over the top.
Do you really think Cohen will let this completely fall apart? I’ll believe that when I see it.
As we’ve seen for about three weeks, these latest reports don’t say very much of anything at all. However, the number of reports suddenly coming out — with Boras’ signature moves appearing — makes it seem like a resolution is on the horizon.
At least, we hope so because we’re all tired of this now.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
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