The New York Mets and free agent shortstop Carlos Correa are “working through” a medical issue after his physical with the team apparently showed the same right leg concerns that nixed a deal with the San Francisco Giants earlier in the week, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Correa, 28, agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with the Mets just hours after a deal with the Giants was put on hold because of concerns with Correa’s lower right leg, which had been surgically repaired in 2014 after he broke the fibula on a slide during a minor league game. In the interim, Correa pivoted to the Mets, who had previously engaged on acquiring the star veteran.
Despite the latest delay, a deal with the Mets is still likely, according to the source, but the contract could be reworked to account for the issue. That reworking could simply be for fewer years and less money or could include language that doesn’t guarantee a certain amount of money if Correa misses lengthy time because of the specific leg ailment.
An agreement between player and team isn’t official until the player passes a physical and signs a contract, as it’s not uncommon for agreements to leak before the team makes an announcement. On occasion, a player won’t pass his physical — or one team views his medicals differently than another — thus voiding the agreement.
The latter scenario appeared to apply to Correa, but now the Mets apparently have the same concerns the Giants had, hence delaying the official signing. There is no timetable to the sides reworking the agreement, according to a source.
Correa has a .836 OPS over eight seasons in the big leagues and was one of four star shortstops available this offseason in the free agent market. He was set to make the most in total dollars of the four, but now his latest deal with New York is on hold for the moment.
The Athletic was the first to report an issue with Correa’s physical with the Mets.