Carlos Correa He was the next face of the Giants franchise until he wasn’t after a disagreement over his medical results. Metsafter they agreed, is probably the best team in the National League, on paper 12-year, $315 million deal Star shortstop and…physical pending.
These last few words are at the heart of the most amazing development of this MLB off season. How the team relies on medical reports as details emerge about why the Giants’ record-breaking contract with Correa — the largest deal ever given to a shortstop — collapsed I thought it would be useful to discuss generally about free agency and contracts.
First, it’s important to clarify the basic progression of most signatures. Once the team reaches an agreement with Freeher’s agent and their representatives, the parties first agree on the length and amount of the contract (number of years and amount). We then agree on opt-out terms, option years, incentives and bounties.
Then agree to the terms of the warranty. This is a detailed legal document containing all kinds of specific conditions. In a big deal with a free agent like Correa, the document can be 50 to 100 pages. Every deal is different, but every team and agent has words they want to include. For example, a team might say that players are not allowed to go surfing or ride motorcycles.
If the above agreement framework is in place, the team will always ensure that the transaction is pending physical and/or medical record review. I don’t want you to know that I didn’t and you had serious medical concerns about a player that should be taken into consideration later. must be done.
If the Team discovers a medical issue during this process, the Team may (1) proceed with the original transaction, (2) walk away from the Player entirely, or (3) raise the issue with the Player’s Faction for negotiation. You can decide to try. Better terms for new contracts. However, in the latter case, the team has abandoned the original deal and the player is free to resume negotiations with the other team. This is what Correa did for the Mets in this instance.
Mets owner Steve Cohen spent over $800 million in free agency this offseason. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
We return to the interesting Correa case, as long-term trading is risky. giantsagreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal pending physical.
What’s unusual here is that the Giants convened a press conference on Tuesday in which Correa passed the body and was ready to introduce him as the franchise’s most important foothold since signing Barry Bonds in 1992. It would make you believe they were done. It’s strange that they canceled the press conference after that. It’s embarassing.
But regardless of this mistake, if the Giants had medical concerns about Correa, they would be far better off withdrawing from the contract now and not making the $350 million promise. No team wants quality players. Getting Correa on his 13-year contract, which would push him into his 40s, was risky enough, but if serious medical problems are also present (it’s unclear if they really are), long-term it only exacerbates the risks.
During my 16 years as GM, I had to make some difficult medical decisions regarding free agency. Nearly 30 years later, the one that stood out the most was Ron Gant, and I signed him to a two-year contract. Reds June 1994, braves released him a few months ago after a motorcycle accident. Team doctors told Gant that he couldn’t play in 1994 and wouldn’t play in the majors again, but after weighing the pros and cons, I told Gant he could play in 1995. signed a contract to pay $3.5 million.
Gant did not play in 1994. He limped into spring training in 1995 and missed his first 12 pitches in batting practice. I think my stomach hurt at that point. However, the bet on Gant paid off and he recorded his 29 home runs, 88 RBI and 23 stolen bases that season. He made his team an All-Star and he finished 11th in the NL MVP voting.
I’m not comparing Gant’s signing to Correa’s nine-figure contract, but I’m mentioning it to highlight the medical factors that baseball executives must consider with every player and every contract. During my career as a GM, I mostly followed the advice of my medical team (and worked with some of the best doctors in the industry, including Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Timothy Kremcheck). In this case I didn’t. But if Gant wasn’t healthy enough to perform in his 1995, I definitely could have lost his job with that decision.
As for Correa, time will tell if the Giants, or the Mets, made the right decision.Mets owner Steve Cohen swooped in early Wednesday to make Correa his latest big money acquisitionFarhan Zaidi, president of the Giants’ baseball operations division, said in a brief statement Wednesday that he cited “disagreement over[Correa’s]physical examination results.” Correa’s agent Scott Boras explained aspects of his affair.
If health was curtailing Correa’s career, the Giants would have made the right decision. Right now, the Giants’ offseason is disasterThey made some moves to help the team, but this offseason has been defined by the two superstars they lost. strong push for Aaron Judgebut lost when he re-signed Yankees. Then this.they are miles behind Padres When dodgers.
Meanwhile, the Mets could enter the season as the NL’s top team, assuming they finalize a deal with Correa, with some of the highest salaries and payroll taxes in sports history. NL East is A three-team slugfest of epic proportionsBraves, Mets, Phillies All World Series contenders. With the margins between them so thin, physical results in December could dictate division races, or even World Championships.
(Photo above: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
