Mets, still working through Carlos Correa situation, finalize Adam Ottavino contract
Mets reliever Adam Ottavino; inset: Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke; AP
As the Mets try to work through the Carlos Correa situation, they announced on Tuesday the re-signing of righthander Adam Ottavino to a two-year, $14.5-million contract (the second year is a player option).
Ottavino, 37, went 6-3 with three saves and a 2.06 ERA in 2022, his first year with the club.
“Adam has a long track record of success,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said in a statement. “He was a staple for us late in games last season, which shows the trust we have in him. We’re excited to have him back.”
What Eppler didn’t address in his statement is what is happening with the 12-year, $315-million contract the team agreed to last week with the free agent Correa.
The Mets have reportedly found something in Correa’s physical that has given them pause in completing the megadeal.
The same thing happened after Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350-million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants saw something they didn’t like in Correa’s medical history — speculation is an old ankle injury and surgery he had in 2014 — and backed out of the deal while Correa was waiting in a hotel room to be introduced.
That’s when the Mets and owner Steve Cohen swooped in. If the deal is finalized, Correa will move from shortstop to third base to play alongside his pal Francisco Lindor.
Reports over the Christmas holiday indicated the Mets and Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, are still negotiating to see if they can come to an agreement in light of the medical issues that are worrying the club, perhaps by lowering the number of guaranteed years or inserting a clause that protects the Mets if the old injury flares up. Boras had such a clause inserted into the just-completed five-year, $110-million contract J.D. Martinez signed with the Red Sox.
If they can agree, Correa will be the finishing touch on a dizzying offseason of signings by the Mets.
If they can’t, Correa will remain a free agent.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
