NY Mets dodged a bullet with Carlos Correa, and they know it

That swing and a miss on Carlos Correa in the offseason is looking better every day for the NY Mets. 

Many New York Mets fans were understandably distraught when the team lost out on star slugger Carlos Correa this past offseason.

Weeks after the Mets and Correa reportedly agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract, the two-time All-Star opted to sign a smaller deal with the Twins instead.

Five months later, how’s that decision looking? Not good for Minnesota.

Correa is currently slashing .185/.261/.363 with 23 hits at 124 at-bats. He just went 0-for-5 in the Twins’ 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, at which point he felt compelled to speak to the press about his slump in form.

Correa said via the Associated Press:

"“Obviously, (the boos are) acceptable. It’s part of the game, part of sports. Fans want production, and fans want a team that’s going to compete out there and win games. It’s to be expected when you play poorly. But at the same time, the work doesn’t stop. I’m going to keep working and keep focusing on the things I can control, and the results will come.”"

If Correa had been playing like that at CitiField, the boos would have just been even louder.

Mets should be grateful the Carlos Correa signing didn’t go throughs

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and there’s no way anyone could have predicted Correa’s start-of-season drought.

Correa was one of the most sought-after marquee free agents after he hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 2022, and given how generous Mets owner Steve Cohen was being with his wallet last offseason, Correa heading to Queens seemed like a done deal.

New York’s concerns about Correa’s surgically repaired ankle and Correa’s own inclination to return to Minnesota ultimately stuck a needle in that ballooning dream. The Mets can look back on that fleeting period and pat themselves on the back for side-stepping that future catastrophe, but on the other hand… well, Cohen’s $35 million roster isn’t doing too well either.

Tuesday’s loss to the Reds marked the Mets’ 12th loss in 15 games, and New York has now sunk below .500 for the first time in the 2023 season.

Handing a market-shattering deal to Correa would only have added to the disappointment, and besides, Mets’ current third baseman Brett Baty has been performing just fine. The same can’t be said about New York’s crummy pitching rotation.

So no regrets about that Correa whiff, but the Mets may want to take a long, hard look at other areas of the roster this season.