In a stunning reversal, Carlos Correa won’t be joining the San Francisco Giants and is now headed to the New York Mets.
Owner Steve Cohen told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that the addition of the two-time All-Star puts the Mets “over the top.”
While New York lost Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in early December, they quickly replaced the two-time NL Cy Young award winner with the 2022 AL Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander. The Mets were far from done though, as they’ve also brought in Japanese star pitcher Kodai Senga and re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo and stud closer Edwin Diaz, among other moves.
Then, the Correa news came out Wednesday morning. The Mets now have a lethal starting rotation with Verlander, Senga, and Max Scherzer heading a deep group, Diaz at the back end of a shutdown bullpen, and Correa sliding into the middle of one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball.
It’s likely no coincidence that Cohen’s spending spree comes as the last two NL champions have come from the Mets’ division — the 2021 World Series-champion Atlanta Braves and the 2022 runner-up Philadelphia Phillies. While the Braves haven’t had a big offseason so far, the Phillies recently made one of the biggest moves in landing Trea Turner.
Correa was scheduled to be introduced to the Giants media on Tuesday before the press conference was postponed due to a reported medical concern. Now, Mets fans will instead get to unwrap one (perhaps) final present before the Christmas holiday.
