This Carlos Correa saga just won’t end. As a result, we’re at the point where articles have to delve into new subject areas.
The latest angle is the Minnesota Twins feel better about their chances. That was the subject of Ken Rosenthal’s latest report for The Athletic.
As Rosenthal wrote, the possibility of Correa returning to the Twins “is increasing, team sources said Monday night.” Read that again. Team sources said.
This is the Twins selling they can still get Correa. In fact, as Rosenthal reported the Twins kept in touch to be a landing spot should everything fall through with the teams willing to pay Correa fair market value.
Scott Boras talked to them after Correa failed his second physical. The Twins stayed engaged just in case. That’s it.
Really, that’s all this report is. It’s just saying the Twins are there and want us all to know they can still sign Correa once deals fall through with all the other teams.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post had a similar report. In his, he classified talks as “gaining momentum.” He went on to say the Mets “gave the opening to the Twins, who are trying to close their own deal now.”
Again, this is the Twins pushing the narrative they have a chance. Certainly, as the Mets and Correa move towards the finish line, Scott Boras is going to plant stories like these with trusted writers to help push the Mets.
Arguably, this is coming at a sensitive time in negotiations. We say arguably because no one knows what’s happening, but we did see a report the Mets figured things out right before these leaks.
Trust any and all of these reports as much as you’d like. However, at the end of the day, we don’t know if the Twins really have a shot until the Mets back out of negotiations which may never happen.
Again, this is a story which has been going on for too long. People are getting antsy, and they’re starting to wait for the deal to go sour. They’re looking for a fresh angle even if it’s not there.
We just need to sit and wait. Tomorrow will bring news of an agreement or another crazy angle. Essentially, we’ll keep getting stories until there’s an actual story.
When the New York Mets played the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, it was the first time the Mets were in the postseason since they were in the postseason in 2016. In fact, that marked just the second time in team history the Mets went to the postseason in consecutive seasons.
While just seven years ago, none of the players from those 2015-2016 Mets teams are around anymore. Actually, that’s not entirely true with Jerry Blevins working on the SNY postgame and occasionally filling in for Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.
Blevins isn’t the only player who is retired. Look back at their starting lineup in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series. Almost all of those players are retired:
- Curtis Granderson – retired
- David Wright – retired
- Daniel Murphy – retired
- Yoenis Cespedes – attempting a comeback after retiring
- Lucas Duda – retired
- Travis d’Arnaud – Atlanta Braves
- Michael Conforto – San Francisco Giants
- Wilmer Flores – San Francisco Giants
- Kelly Johnson – retired
That is five retired and one more effectively retired. Notably, with Johnson, we saw Michael Cuddyer and Kirk Nieuwenhuis pinch hit in that DH spot, and both are now retired. If anything, it would seem the San Francisco Giants is the official team of the 2015 Mets.
As we see with Conforto and Flores, there are still some of those Mets players still in the majors, Matt Harvey notwithstanding. However, when Jacob deGrom signing with the Texas Rangers, there are currently no players from that team still with the Mets organization.
When Seth Lugo signed with the San Diego Padres, that left the Mets with absolutely no pitchers from that two year run. When Conforto signed with the Giants, that meant Brandon Nimmo was the only Mets player from that two year stretch to remain with the Mets, and he only played in 32 games.
When deGrom signed with the Rangers, we obviously lamented the second greatest Met ever leaving the organization. However, it was Conforto and Lugo leaving which officially turned the page on those teams with so much promise which ultimately fell apart due to the Wilpons malfeasance and cheapness.
In a sense, we should welcome this chapter forever being closed. Now, it is all about Steve Cohen and how he runs the Mets. So far this offseason, that means Nimmo is a Met for life in addition to adding Justin Verlander, Koudai Senga, Jose Quintana, David Robertson, Omar Narvaez and hopefully, Carlos Correa. Oh, and by the way, the Mets brought back Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino.
So yes, it is sad to see a part of Mets history gone, but we will have those memories. More than that, we have an exciting new era and owner. Now, it is time to just wait for Correa to sign, and the Mets to win a World Series.
Did Carlos Correa officially sign with the New York Mets yet? No.
Did Correa sign with the Minnesota Twins yet? No.
Is there another mystery team involved? Probably. Maybe. But, that team hasn’t leaked, nor has the supposed presence of such a team been inferred by Scott Boras or Correa’s camp.
Have the Mets backed out of negotiations? We haven’t heard anything about the team doing that.
Is Correa frustrated and considering backing out? Frustrated, but after two teams had issues with his physical, it’s very doubtful he’s looking to back out of contract negotiations.
Are people creating stories with new super duper reliable sources? It’s Jim Bowden’s turn.
What is there actually to report? Nothing. There’s really nothing to report.
All we know is nothing. The only parties who actually know something are being very tight lipped. Only they know of this is good or bad.
The hope is we hear of a deal being consummated at 3 AM with all of us waking up surprised and exhilarated. Until then, we wait until he’s a Met or not.
We don’t know what’s happening with Carlos Correa. There may be one or two people out there who put out something, but they don’t really know either.
To a certain extent, neither the New York Mets nor Correa’s camp know. All they know is the points to which they won’t go during these negotiations.
We can’t even call them stalled because we don’t know if they are. We just know we really don’t know anything until one of these sides announce they’re breaking off talks, or they both announce they’ve completed a deal.
Until then, we just have to sit it out. We might as well as do it patiently because we really have no other choice.
It’s been over two weeks since the New York Mets and Carlos Correa agreed to a 12 year $315 million deal. As we know, the Mets shared the San Francisco Giants’ concerns with Correa’s ankle.
Unlike the Giants, the Mets continued negotiations. By and large, it seemed both sides were still very motivated to get the deal done.
The Giants looked to get back into the bidding with them being informed Correa was going to be a Met. As a result, the Giants shifted their focus and signed Michael Conforto.
The Minnesota Twins were always interested in bringing Correa back. They loved him last season, but they don’t present the same chance to win, and their contract offer was a distant third.
The longer this intricate negotiation continues with the Mets there is more of a chance Amy team could jump back in and sign Correa. The Twins are just as likely as any other team to do that.
Presumably, there are 28 other teams who could do the same. Make no mistake here. It’s Scott Boras’ job to keep other teams engaged to either push the Mets and/or make a quick move in the event negotiations break down.
With respect to the Twins, given their history, there shouldn’t be fear they present a Godfather offer to Correa. That history includes this offseason when they failed to do just that.
In all likelihood, they’re around because Boras is keeping them around. He needs them as leverage. He needs them as a fallback because if not the Twins, then who?
The Mets are aware of this, and we see they’re pondering walking away from the negotiations. In all likelihood, this is usually what we hear at the endgame.
Of course, that means it can still fall apart. However, if it does, it’s not because of the Twins. It’s because of Correa’s ankle.
If Correa re-signs with the Twins, it won’t be because the Mets didn’t match an offer. It’s because Correa’s ankle was too big of an issue.
This is an area where Steve Cohen deserves the benefit of the doubt in the way the Wilpons never did. We know Cohen can and will spend the money if it makes sense.
If Cohen and the Mets don’t sign Correa, don’t blame the Mets. Don’t blame Correa or Boras. Certainly, don’t blame the Twins or whatever other phantom team is out there.
It just means this wasn’t to be, and the Mets will find another way to improve the roster. Trust the Mets here.
Back in 2015, the New York Mets made the mistake of trading Michael Fulmer to acquire Yoenis Cespedes. No, it was not a mistake to obtain Cespedes, but rather, Fulmer was far too high a price to pay. As it would turn out, the Mets needed starting pitching the ensuing two seasons where Fulmer was winning Rookie of the Year and being named an All-Star.
Well, from there, Fulmer had some injury prone years and moved to the bullpen. For his part, Cespedes needed double heel surgery, and then, he would have an incident falling off his horse or something with a feral hog during his rehab. The details are still murky.
Regardless, the Detroit Tigers received a 12.2 WAR out of Fulmer and a prospect at the trade deadline. The Mets received an epic run from Cespedes amounting to a 2.1 WAR and not postseason production at the plate past Game 3 of the NLDS. In essence, the Mets made a win-now trade and didn’t win.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Fulmer is a free agent while Cespedes is trying to get back into the majors. The Mets are also looking to build a bullpen which can get them their first World Series since 1986. It already looks formidable with the following relievers in place:
There are other pitchers in the mix, but these are the relievers who are guaranteed. With five starters, that leaves up to four more relievers who can be added. The presumption is at least two of Joey Lucchesi, Tylor Megill, and David Peterson will start the season in Triple-A to provide organizational starting pitching depth.
That probably leaves pitchers like Jeff Brigham and John Curtiss on more of a solid footing to make the Opening Day bullpen than they probably should. Even with those names likely to make the bullpen, the Mets are still at least one arm short.
Fulmer, 29, would be an excellent fit. As a reliever, he has a 128 ERA+. As per Baseball Savant, he does an exceptional job limiting hard contact and barrels. We’ve also seen Jeremy Hefner work well with pitchers how have a similar repertoire. All told, he probably remains the best arm remaining on the market.
While we are very confident in this Mets roster, they probably remain an arm short in the bullpen. Fulmer would go a long way to resolving that issue and make this Mets team even better. All this time later, the Mets now need to sign Fulmer instead of trading him to try to help put this Mets team over the top.
Right now, it is irresponsible to speculate if there was anything that could have been done to prevent Damar Hamlin from suffering cardiac arrest after that collision. Certainly, manufacturers are going to go back to the drawing board, and they are indeed going to look to see if they could do anything to prevent that awful moment from every happening again on the field.
Obviously, everyone is going to look at this as an NFL issue. With football being an inherently violent sport, you just assume this is going to happen in football more than any other sport. However, no other sport is immune to these types of tragedies, and this should be a wake up call for all sports to review their safety equipment and protocols.
Look at the New York Mets this past season. They were hit by pitches more than any other team in baseball. There were multiple scary moments with fastballs going up-and-in at the batters, and remember, these pitches are now traveling around or above 100 MPH at times. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor having the C-flaps on their helmets prevented each of them from more significant and potentially catastrophic injury.
Lindor just got beamed in the face (saved by helmet flap).
Dugouts & bullpens cleared, near brawl 👀
THIS IS APPLE TV+ BASEBALL #Mets #Nats pic.twitter.com/lkrbQOKXFg
— 4_sumthin_24 (@ace_1985) April 9, 2022
Even with that happening, not everyone on the Mets wears the c-flap. Part of the reason is the c-flap is not currently mandated by Major League Baseball. To a certain extent, the players are to blame because they are always resistant to different changes like that. For example, go back to the 1986 World Series, you’ll see players like Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez not wear the ear flaps on their batting helmets.
At some point, the league and the union has to save the players from themselves. For baseball, this goes beyond just the batting helmets.
There are heart protective shirts available to help protect the heart after a direct impact from a hard hit ball. Baseball doesn’t mandate that despite batted balls screaming towards the pitcher at speeds well in excess of 100 MPH. The same goes for infielders who are actively taught to take the ball off the chest when there is a bad hop. Mandating these shirts could prevent an injury or other catastrophic incident.
Former Met Cliff Floyd has invested in protective liners in caps to protect against line drives taken to a fielder’s head. This would be of real importance to pitchers who are vulnerable with line drives screaming back at the mound. We have all seen at least one incident where a pitcher is hit with a line drive and is left bloodied on the mound.
It is possible Floyd’s product is not ready for MLB use, but we also don’t hear or see MLB investing in it or a similar product. More than that, we never really hear MLB or players speak out about the need for protective equipment like this at the Major League or youth recreational levels.
What we do know is all sports are inherently dangerous. It takes an incident in the sport to mandate changes, and even with those incidents, players are typically dragged along instead of willing participants.
Whatever the case, we saw Damar Hamlin almost die on the field after what was a routine play. While the NFL has been criticized for its immediate response, the one thing they got right was the medical training and protocols for their medical professionals at the games. That saved a life, and it is something each and every sport should be investigating and emulating at the moment.
Make no mistake, what happened to Hamlin could happen in any sport. The goal for each sport right now is to immediately assess their safety equipment and protocols. They need to see what changes they can make to stop whatever trauma they can, and they need to make sure their medical policies and procedures match what the NFL had in place which ultimately saved Hamlin’s life.
During the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Damar Hamlin was seriously injured. It’s a life threatening situation.
You can look for the video if you want, but Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins went full speed and force toward Hamlin. Hamlin absorbed the full impact to his chest as he was trucked over making the tackle.
Hamlin sprung up momentarily before collapsing. He would require CPR and would be taken by ambulance from the field and taken to a Level 1 Trauma hospital in Cincinnati.
At times like these, details are murky and often unreliable. It seems as if he was intubated and in critical condition. Given what we know and have seen, he’s in a very bad place. Speculating beyond that is irresponsible.
The only thing we can do for him now is pray for his health and safety in the short and long term. Any concerns about anything other than his health right now is vile and disgusting.
Hopefully, Hamlin will be alright, and we can get back to caring about the playoff implications of this game. For that matter, we can get back to caring about anything else related to the NFL season.
Again, none of that matters now. The only thing that maters is Hamlin. Again, offer your prayers for him.
Throughout the New York Mets history, they’ve gotten many things wrong. After all, they traded Tom Seaver.
However, one thing they’ve gotten right was broadcasters. That started right from the jump with Lindsay Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner. All three would enter the Hall of Fame (Kiner as a player).
Murphy passed the torch to Gary Cohen. Cohen has long been the best of the business. He’s been a multiple time Ford C. Frick nominee, and at some point, we should see him in the Hall of Fame.
While Howie Rose isn’t given the same consideration, he should. He’s a legend in his own right, and he’s taken the torch from Murphy and Cohen to continue radio play-by-play excellence.
Arguably, the best the Mets booth has ever been was when it was Gary and Howie. In addition to being great on the call, these were lifelong New York Mets fans with an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire history of the franchise.
Since Gary went to SNY, Howie has had a few broadcasters join him in the booth with differing levels of success.
Tom McCarthy was terrific, and as a younger lifelong fan, he seemed to be a perfect person to carry the torch. However, the Philadelphia Phillies made him a great offer to return, and so he did.
Wayne Hagin replaced him, and while Howie defended him, Mets fans despised him. This led to his being replaced by Josh Lewin, who was absolutely fantastic. When he left, he left a hole behind while could not be filled.
His replacement was Wayne Randazzo. Curiously, he had his fans despite his not being well versed in the team prior to his first being hired in 2015, and his knowledge base not expanding in future years.
There was also the matter of butchering big calls like Pete Alonso’s record setting homer passing Aaron Judge’s rookie home run mark in 2019. Well, as we know, he won’t be butchering more calls as he was hired as the Los Angeles Angels TV announcer.
To a certain extent, the Mets were unprepared for this, but as we also know, they’ve been looking at other people the past few years.
The Mets had John Sadak as a fill-in host in 2019. Jake Eisenberg filled-in this past season. Both were phenomenal and seemed as if they could be future voices of the Mets.
Sadly, they were both apparently too good. Sadak is now the Cincinnati Reds TV announcer, and Eisenberg was hired to announce Kansas City Royals games on the radio.
Either would have been perfect to replace Randazzo. Truth be told, they both should’ve been hired to take over for Randazzo anyway as they were both much better at the calls with a vastly superior knowledge of the Mets.
Unfortunately, it’s highly doubtful either returns, at least not now. Sadak isn’t likely going to turn down a TV job to be the Mets junior radio announcer. Eisenberg likely won’t leave a job he was just hired to do.
That leaves the Mets in a lurch. Hopefully, they can find someone on par with Sadak or Eisenberg, but that is far more easier said than done.