Will the New York Mets still sign Carlos Correa now that his physical results are in question once again?

Following what looked like one of the largest contracts ever signed in MLB history, the former Twins star has once again seen his future prospects hit a snag following concerns over his health and it’s not the first time in recent weeks.

Carlos Correa’s health once again under the microscope

For the second time in recent weeks, concerns about Carlos Correa’s physical condition following a medical exam have created a roadblock for the completion of a long-term free agent contract. If you missed it, Correa’s original 13-year, $350 million agreement with the San Francisco Giants never came to be due to the concerns that the club had about his medical evaluation. Now, reports can confirm that Correa’s proposed 12-year, $315 million deal with the New York Mets may not pan out after all, though it was initially reported to be more or less complete.

Though details about Correa’s exact problem were initially scant, it is now understood that the concern is based on his right lower leg, which he had surgery on in 2014 at the age of 19-years-old while playing in the Astros’ minor league system. To be clear, Correa has suffered a number of injury setbacks across his career, but to date there has never been any mention of the leg. At any rate, it’s worth noting that prior to this moment Correa has never agreed to a contract involving so many years. Was he avoiding the exhaustive and invasive physicals associated with such long-term contracts?

What’s been said about Carlos Correa’s situation

Where Correa’s immediate future is concerned, it’s unclear as to how this will all play out, but what we can say is that the situation is definitely unique. On the one side, we’ve got his agent Scott Boras, who does not have a history of renegotiating contracts based on the results of a physical. That’s to say, it’s likely to be a ‘This is the price, so take it or leave it’ stance from the player’s point of view. Then we also have to consider what we know according to a recent report, about the situation.

“The parties could agree to a restructured contract if the Mets continue to express reservations about the long-term stability of Correa’s leg. It might be difficult for the Mets to back out of the agreement entirely after their owner, Steve Cohen, went on record talking about the deal. It also might be difficult for Correa to re-enter the free-agent market and land a comparable contract after two clubs identified the same issue in their physical examinations of him,” said the report.

A look at Carlos Correa

Despite the fact, that he has had his share of health and injury related issues over the years, including a recent bout of covid-19 this past season, the former Astros and Twins player has always been top tier. A two-time All-Star, Correa hit .291/.366/.467 while launching 22 home runs across 136 games in 2022. He is a career .279/.357/.479 hitter who known for his excellent defense at shortstop. In total, he’s got 39.5 WAR and is still just 28. That’s to say that while there is definitely room for improvement, we’re likely looking at a future Hall of Fame inductee.

Interestingly, his stint in with the Twins was the result of a one-year contract worth $35.1 million with a two-year, $70.2 million insurance policy in the event that he failed to perform or suffered a season ending injury. As we now know, neither happened and that brings us to the present. Where the Mets are concerned, the team posted a record of 101-61 in 2022, which led to a tiebreaker with the Atlanta Braves that the team lost. The Mets would eventually go on to lose to the Padres in three games in the Wild Card Series. This is all to say that if the Mets are going to go further in the post season this year, a player like Carlos Correa - assuming he’s healthy - will be a key part of their effort.