On Dec. 21, the Mets were declared by many as the winners of the off-season after they agreed to terms with Carlos Correa, one of the top infielders in baseball, on a 12-year, $315 million contract. The Mets, who won 101 games in 2022, were adding an all-around superstar in what they hoped was the final piece in the team owner Steven A. Cohen’s championship puzzle.
The Mets deal, which came after Correa’s 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants the week before unraveled, was “pending a physical examination,” contract language that is often glossed over like the “terms and conditions” on a website.