MLB 2023

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Interested to see what dominos are left to fall before April. 

Will a team sign Carlos Correa? How much money will the Mets spend!? 

[The Buscher]

The fact that there have been no leaks at all on the Correa front since the news broke of the Mets being concerned over his medicals tells me that the Mets and Boras are actively trying to work the deal out.  My best guess is Correa's deal will be for the full 12 years, $315 million but the Mets will have injury void clauses tied to his ankle and, in exchange, Correa will probably get opt-outs.

Don't think it's impossible that they've basically agreed on the parameters but a deal with this many contingencies might be needing union and/or league signoff, which the holidays might have delayed.

The union might not want to set a precedent for complex stipulations in contracts, but they also aren't gonna want to screw Carlos out of a massive payday since he might be low on options if this fell through.  The league on the other hand would love clauses like this but they also hate Cohen is "ruining baseball" by making them look like chumps.

[gunnar hendershow]

If this deals fall through after two teams backed out, his next contract will be something like 6 year $170 million which obviously is more per year but is overall a lot less during his career assuming it's cut short due to the medical issues.

I could see a stipulation where some of the injury void clause turns his later year money into deferred 20-30 year money as well. But given the silence I'll be shocked if it doesn't win up happening with the Mets. Boras knows the Mets have the money and aren't afraid of the luxury tax but also knows he needs to concede something if the deal is to get done.

[Lowerdeck]

Red Sox gonna finish in last in the AL East

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

13 hours ago, Lowerdeck said:

Red Sox gonna finish in last in the AL East

 

[The Buscher]

Correa posted a pic with his kid on IG “going to work with daddy today”, he was wearing a Boras Corporation shirt and his kid was wearing an I ❤️ NY shirt.

So yeah.  That seems promising.

[The Buscher]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

Rafael Devers is getting an 11 year/$332 million contract extension with the Red Sox. So that's good for them if he discovers he can pitch.

[Meacon Keaton]

Oh, wow, I didn't think a small-market team like the Red Sox could afford to keep homegrown players. 

[GhostMachine]

5 hours ago, Meacon Keaton said:

Oh, wow, I didn't think a small-market team like the Red Sox could afford to keep homegrown players. 

He should be a Pittsburgh Pirate right now. Damn shame.

[The Buscher]

Late yesterday it emerged from Heyman that the Mets/Correa talks hit a "hiccup" and that another team has now entered discussions, with Jim Bowden saying today it's the Twins trying to get back in.  In turn, Andy Martino reported that the Mets were growing frustrated with the process and were preparing for the possibility of ending negotiations.

So after two weeks of no leaks, it seems Boras and the Mets are now putting stuff out there in what I can assume is the closing stages of negotiation.  Rumors of another team being involved is a Boras staple, but it's rarely ever a bluff either.  What can't be known is how serious the Twins actually are, as I can't imagine them handing out a deal the magnitude of the Giants or Mets.  Their highest reported offer for Correa was 10 years, $285 million and that was before he had multiple teams flag his ankle, are a team that doesn't generally spend big money really going to give him that deal fully guaranteed without injury protection?

Also Cohen is making a public appearance this weekend.  So I sense one way or another, this thing is finally coming to an end soon.

I would be upset to lose Correa because he makes the team significantly better, but I do understand why at a certain point you might just need to call Boras on his bluff and walk away.

[The Buscher]

J.P. Arencibia named the bench coach for the Mets' AAA team.  My first thought was "hey cool I remember that guy, catchers make for a good managerial pipeline".

Then I learned that he's married to Tomi Lahren and I'm much less interested.

[The Buscher]

OK, so I always expect Jon Heyman and Andy Martino to just take whatever bullshit agents and teams feed them and pass it along.  They don't care that they're being used as pawns, the spin gets them clicks.

But I don't expect that out of Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi.  Those guys are reputable, they consider their sources and vet everything on all sides before putting it out there.  And both as of last night were saying the Twins had jumped back in on Correa and were making an aggressive push on him, and Morosi this morning went as far as to say it was a genuine 50/50 toss-up with the Twins, who presumably have jumped in with a fully guaranteed offer as the Mets and Boras/Correa continue to negotiate medical protections.

No idea how this will ultimately shake out, but this is the first time I'm starting to get doubts and mentally prepare for Correa to not be a Met.

[gunnar hendershow]

And he's not a Met. Correa to the Twins, of course pending physical. 6 years $200 million.

[The Buscher]

Welp.  Mets are thankfully projected to be really good anyway but man, Correa would’ve put them over the top.  As it is I think they’re still pretty much a coin flip with the Braves.

[Your Mom]

All that just to end up back with the Twins  

[The Buscher]

The Mets' final offer to Correa was reportedly 6 years, $157.5 million with 6 vesting options that would've taken it up to the originally agreed upon 12 years, $315 million.  But the big thing here is that Correa was going to be required to take an annual physical to guarantee the next year's salary.  And if the physical showed deterioration in his ankle, the Mets would've been able to void the remainder of the contract.

All told I can't be mad.  Mets clearly hated what they saw in his medicals to even offer that kind of deal.  But it's also no surprise it fell apart.  It was basically a bunch of 1-year deals strung together.  It's one thing to have opt-outs tied to games played, but an annual physical?  Would've been a generational setback for the MLBPA to allow that kind of contract.

[Meacon Keaton]

Now he will fail the Twins physical and he will agree to terms with the Giants again.

[The Buscher]

I realize that you're paying an agent to work out negotiation and details and doubly so if you're hiring the most expensive agent in the sport.  But I do think it was kinda jarring when Boras himself said that Correa had no clue the Mets were even in play until Boras informed him a deal was reached with New York (when Correa then tackled Boras in excitement).  So basically Correa was just waiting for the issues with the Giants to be settled and then got told he was going elsewhere as a surprise.

Then with Correa posting numerous pictures hinting at New York over the past week, entirely possible that he was only just told last night he's flying to Minnesota for another physical.

I know a player at any point can step in and tell his agent to work a deal with a specific team or whatever and it does sound like the Mets and Boras really tried here.  But it's just wild to imagine how many players out there effectively just let their agent decide where they're going to spend the next X number of years of their life.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Twins deal is done.