carlos-correa.jpg

Wait, Mets? What happened to the Giants?

That deal fell through because of something that turned up in Correa's physical, and the Mets stepped up with an offer one year and $35 million shy of the original (final terms: 12 years, $315 million).

It was an unlikely fit given that the Mets already have a franchise shortstop in Francisco Lindor, but now Correa will be picking up eligibility at what's currently the weaker position in Fantasy, third base, and his stock improves as a result. He'll be playing in an environment similar to last year in Minnesota, where he fell a little short of expectations in Fantasy, but that's largely because of his freakishly low combined run and RBI total of 134. The odds of that happening again were already low and now next to impossible in a prolific Mets lineup.

MIN Minnesota • #4 • Age: 29
2022 Stats
AVG
.291
HR
22
RBI
64
R
70
OPS
.834
AB
522

Of course, Correa has been in a great lineup before, in Houston, and even then, he rated as a better player in real life than in Fantasy. After all, he has never hit more than 26 home runs in a season and hasn't stolen a base since 2019. Much of his value came from his defense, and while he should fare well at third base, it's nonetheless a shame that the best at playing shortstop no longer gets to play shortstop.

But Correa produces premium exit velocities with good plate discipline, and there's a feeling that, at 28, his best is yet to come. In terms of upside, he probably rates similarly to Corey Seager even though he's been going about 55 picks later in early drafts. Health has been a longstanding issue, too, cutting short some of Correa's best seasons, and the perceived injury risk serves to suppress his value further, particularly at a position as deep as shortstop.

But again, he'll be playing third base now, and while you can't draft him to fill that spot right away, you can draft him in anticipation of it. Seeing as he'll be joining what was the majors' fifth-best lineup last year, one replete with star hitters like Lindor, Pete Alonso and Starling Marte, I'm thinking Correa is a better option at third base than former teammate Alex Bregman and rookie Gunnar Henderson. In my overall rankings, that moves him ahead of shortstops Oneil Cruz, Tim Anderson and Tommy Edman, and I'm also leaning toward moving him ahead of Xander Bogaerts, whose power could be further suppressed in San Diego. That would make Correa my No. 7 shortstop, which kind of churns my stomach a bit, but it's the impending third base eligibility that sets him apart.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Escobar is out as the Mets third baseman of the present and Brett Baty as their third baseman of the future, given the length of the deal. Both become valuable trade chips, especially Baty, though it's possible the Mets keep the former around for depth and transition the latter to the outfield.