Way back when Carlos Correa only agreed to one huge deal—the Giants’ $350 million, 13-year deal—Mets owner Steve Cohen was lamenting to The Post about losing Correa (the first time), and said, “There will always be a free agent.” else “.
A few days later, it looked like that free agent might be Correa. But alas, it was not before. Cohen really liked what Corea brought in – the glove, the character and the extra bat, which he felt was “required” – and it sure is frustrating. that you don’t get it After the dispute about his body and how to resolve this difference by means of contract language changes. But there will be more opportunities, which is the nice thing about free agency and having a net worth that rivals some small countries.
Unfortunately, the timing here isn’t great. By the time Correa agreed to his third deal, the deal that stuck — a $200 million, six-year Twins agreement — the remaining free agent market contained no stars in their prime, let alone superstars. Cohen is a big hunter, and it’s fun to guess who might be next. Some thoughts:
Manny Machado
The Padres expect him to practice opting out, especially after the way they and other clients paid the best free agents this winter. He and his manager, Buck Showalter, have been grappling with their tough days together in Baltimore.
Shuhei Ohtani
He probably shouldn’t be No. 2 on any list, but there is some concern as to whether he will go to New York. One baseball executive said he was told Ohtani didn’t want to come here when he was first free five years ago. (His handlers say that was a long time ago and tastes have changed, but of course they have to hope he considers Cohen’s team for negotiations, which would go crazy anyway for the best player in the world.) Ran in Ohtani, and Bids must be in the $500 million rangeat least.
Fernando Tatis Jr
Another Padre was rumored to be a potential commercial bait (the Padres people say they don’t shop for it). I will say, stay away even He can prove that he can be counted on more. Flashes of grandeur are nice but not at this rate. His $340 million deal, which coincidentally inspired Francisco Lindor’s $341 million deal, is seriously overloaded.
Matt Chapman
He’s a fantastic defender, and as a free agent Machado could step into the bottom three with Eduardo Escobar’s contract expiring after 2023. However, his offense has fallen behind in the past two years.
Julio Urillas
He’ll be the best pitcher on the market next year (unless you count Ohtani as a pitcher, and maybe even then), he’s young, he’s clutch. Do not ignore.
Brian Reynolds
he Begging to be tradedAnd maybe it is. But the Crosstown Yankees, Marlins, and others are more straightforward. He’s a very good player, but he doesn’t have the Korean style.
Corbin Burns, Brandon Woodruff
There is no real indication either that he will be dealt with, or that the Brewers will trade to the Mets.
One thing people wonder about is why the Mets didn’t just give Corea the $200 million, six-year deal he eventually signed with the Twins. It seems like a good deal after originally agreeing to $315 million, and the Mets will probably regret not doing it, but it very likely comes down to tax and a desire to keep the AAV (average annual salary) relatively low.
Cohen famously told me “what a difference it makes” on the relatively small extra money he was spending (for him), but in the end, there are lines for everyone, even him. Cohen pays a 90 percent tax (Steve Cohen’s tax) so that $33 million is really $63 million a year. Korea is really good. But is it that good?
The twins, who are below the tax limit, only pay $33.33 million, and pay no additional tax. So Cohen would have paid double the amount had he closed the deal.
For those who thought Cohen had no limits, we may have finally found them.