SEEMS CORREA’S IN LIMBO AGAIN
Physical that doomed Giants deal has Mets worried, too
For the second time this week, Carlos Correa’s $300 million coronation is getting delayed because of issues surrounding a physical examination.
Correa’s 12-year, $315 million agreement with the Mets hit a snag Friday when the team expressed concern about the standard physical players receive before signing a deal. The delay came three days after the Giants postponed a news conference to introduce Correa after the sides had struck a 15-year, $350 million deal.
The Mets and Correa’s representatives are aiming to work through the issues and preserve the agreement, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the discussions. The person spoke with USA Today Sports on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing.
The Athletic reported the Mets expressed concern about imaging around a lower leg injury Correa suffered as a minor-leaguer with the Astros in 2014.
That leg injury was thought to factor strongly into the Giants’ flagging of Correa’s physical, as Correa, agent Scott Boras and Correa’s family awaited his official rollout in a San Francisco hotel, only to be told the Giants needed more time to examine results of the exam.
Boras, concerned the deal might implode a week after it was agreed upon, told the Giants he would resume negotiations with other interested teams. Hours later, he had struck the $315 million deal with Mets owner Steve Cohen, who has committed close to a billion dollars in roster enhancements this winter.
Now the most surprising and lucrative upgrade of all — a move that would slide Correa to third base alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor — is in flux.