When Carlos Correa only agreed to a mega-deal — a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants — Mets owner Steve Cohen lamented to the Post that he missed out on Correa (for the first time), adding: “There will always be another free agent.”
A few days later, it emerged that the free agent could be Correa. But alas, that was not to be the case. Cohen loved what Correa brought – the glove, the personality and the extra bat, which he felt was “necessary” – and he was certainly disappointed. I didn’t buy it A disagreement about his body and how to resolve this disagreement by changing the language of the contract. But there will be more opportunities, which is the nice thing about free agency and having a net worth that rivals some of the smaller ones.
Unfortunately, the timing here is not good. By the time Correa agreed to his third contract, the one that stuck — a six-year, $200 million Twins deal — the remaining free agent market was short of their best stars, let alone superstars. Cohen is a big game hunter and it’s fun to guess who’s next. Some ideas:
Manny Machado
The Padres expect him to use his waiver, especially after they and others paid top free agents this winter. He and manager Buck Showalter spend their days together in Baltimore.
Shohei Ohtani
He’s probably #1 on any list. 2 shouldn’t be, but we wonder if it will go to New York. A baseball executive said he was told Ohtani didn’t want to come here when he became a free agent five years ago. (His managers say that was a long time ago and tastes are changing, but surely he must be hoping that Cohen’s team will consider negotiations, which would be crazy for the best player in the world anyway.) The Dodgers seem ready. A race to Ohtani, and Bids must be in the range of $500 millionAt least.
Fernando Tadis Jr.
Another Padre is rumored to be potential trade bait (the Padres say they’re not buying him). I say stay away until then He can be very reliable. Lightnings of grandeur are good but not at this rate. His $340 million deal coincidentally inspired Francisco Lindor’s $341 million Mets deal.
Matt Chapman
He’s a terrific defender and, like Machado, he could be a third baseman as a free agent, with Eduardo Escobar’s contract expiring after 2023. However, his offense has slowed in the past two years.
Julio Urias
He’ll be the best pitcher in the market next year (unless you count Ohtani as a pitcher, maybe even), he’s young and he’s got the clutch. Don’t ignore it.
Brian Reynolds
Il Begging and doing business, it may be. But the most obvious fit is with the Yankees, Marlins and others in Crosstown. He’s a great player but he won’t wear Korea’s stamp.
Corbin Burns, Brandon Woodruff
There’s no real indication that will be resolved or that the Brewers will trade one to the Mets.
One thing everyone wonders is why the Mets didn’t pay Correa the same six-year, $200 million contract he eventually signed with the Twins. Seems like a bargain after initially accepting $315 million, and maybe the Mets will regret not doing it, but it should keep taxes and AAV (average annual salary) relatively low.
Cohen told me that “what a difference” the relatively small extra money he spends (on him) makes, but at the end of the day, everyone has taxes, even him. Cohen pays 90% tax (the Steve Cohen tax), so $33 million is actually $63 million a year. Korea is really good. But is it that good?
The Twins pay just $33.33 million in salary, below the tax threshold, and no additional taxes. Cohen would therefore have paid double if the deal had been finalized.
For those who thought Cohen had no limits, we may have finally found him.
