1/10/23

Reese Kaplan -- Carlos Correa, We Hardly Knew Ye!


Apparently the Minnesota Twins are fine with Correa's salary and long term prospects compared to the evaluators employed by the Giants and Mets.  I actually applaud the Twins for spending an uncharacteristic amount of money to retain a star player, but I'm also not all that upset that the Mets (and Giants) have moved on.  Correa and his uber-agent were not being all that cooperative during what's supposed to be a negotiation process.  As a result, there is undoubtedly some bad blood between the new ownership and Boras just as there was with the old ownership (though this time it's less about total money spent and more about an honest and equitable set of compromises being made in the interest of getting things done).

While there was a pre-written article scheduled for tomorrow morning about trade options if the Correa deal fell through, I don't claim to have had any inside information about what was happening.  Now, however, it appears that the post-Correa era has arrived.

So the open ended question to all you readers is, "What should the Mets do to provide the offense they'd hoped to get from Carlos Correa?"

Have at it.

5 comments:

Mike Freire said...

Late in the off-season to find a comparable bat……..no free agents left and any worthwhile trade targets would cost a ton in prospects (not what the team seems to be interested in at present).

I prefer to rely on better health, along with a bump from Alvarez (C), Baty (3B) and Vientos (DH) in 2023. Save the prospects and go for a big fish next offseason with just cash.

Not a sure thing and not as comforting as the idea of Correa in the lineup, but what else can you do?

royhobbs7 said...

I agree with you, Mike. The Mets are going to have four position players on the cusp of the majors within the next year (Vientos, Baty, Alvarez and Mauricio). Moreover, there are 2 other position players (Parado and Jett) who are 2-3 years behind the aforementioned. If Uncle Stevie truly wants to rebuild his farm system and keep this talented group in tact, there is going to have to be some room before long on the major league roster.
So, for now, Escobar remains the 3rd baseman with Baty & Vientos waiting in the wings. Alvarez needs refinement in his catching skills at AAA prior to being a full-time member of the Mets this year (think June to August before he becomes a permanent member of the roster. But the best of all the prospects may be Mauricio. Yes, he needs to have better command of the strike zone, but his upside may be the best of the four aforementioned position players on the cusp. Mauricio needs to spend most, if not all of 2023 at AAA improving his walk-to-strikeout ratio and learning how to play OF (where his greatest opportunity with the Mets will exist.
Overall, the Mets can with the present roster (sans Correa), and pick up a needed bat at the trade deadline in August (if needed).
But most of all, what the Correa saga conveys is that Uncle Stevie will be going all out (either near the end of the season) or next winter to trade for (if that is in the cards, late in-season) or sign Shohei Ohtani as a FA next fall/winter as soon as he becomes available. (If Ohtani becomes available at any point after August).

royhobbs7 said...

sic: Overall the Mets can win with the present roster (sans Correa)

Tom Brennan said...

I am OK with the kids instead.

Rds900 said...

Agree with Tom