After losing Carlos Correa to the Twins, the Mets need to make this massive trade

On Tuesday, Carlos Correa signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, putting an end to his free agency saga.

The Minnesota Twins have officially signed Carlos Correa

This whole thing began after the 2022 World Series, when the 28-year-old two-time All-Star opted out of his three-year, $105 million contract with Minnesota.

The San Francisco Giants were the first to offer a massive contract, at 13 years and $350 million. A 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets followed.

However, with the two National League clubs concerned about Correa’s physicals, a way back to Minnesota opened up.

Steve Cohen’s A-team disbanded instantly, taking with them a $500 million salary. But there is a means by which he can recoup his losses and more.

I’ll sum it up with two names: Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani
(Source: Wikipedia)

The two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels won the 2021 American League MVP award and finished second in 2022, behind New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Earlier this winter, Ohtani signed a one-year, $30 million contract for the 2023 season, thereby avoiding arbitration. The 28-year-old is set to become a free agent next winter, which has led to persistent speculation that the Angels will try to trade Ohtani to avoid losing him for nothing.

Ohtani added fuel to the fire when he said earlier this offseason that the Angels’ third-place finish in 2022 left him with a “negative impression.”

Angels GM Perry Minasian assured the media that the team would not be trading its star player over the winter. Ohtani could forego free agency and sign a long-term deal to stay with the Angels, but with the team up for sale, that seems unlikely.

After Judge, Ohtani is the most talked about player in the majors. Putting him in Major League Baseball’s most populous media market is too obvious.

This season, he hit 34 home runs and drove in 95 runs, good for fourth in the American League.

He had a 2.33 earned run average, tied for fourth in the American League with 15 victories, and third in the league with 219 punchouts as a pitcher. Ohtani made MLB history by becoming the first player to ever hit 30 home runs and win 10 games in the same season.

When Ohtani is not on the mound, his position is unknown, but that is a problem for tomorrow. Maybe this idea comes out of left field. The DH could be the problem. Possibly, we’re talking about first base. When the Mets get to that point, they can simply walk off.

But Hal Steinbrenner is the only stumbling block here. This offseason, the Yankees’ owner forked over a combined $960 million to sign Judge and Carlos Rodon to six-year, $162 million contracts.

The satisfaction Steinbrenner would feel after trading for the biggest star on the planet and reclaiming New York City’s back pages from Cohen is palpable.

Unlikely? Yes. Possible? Sure. You can never count out Steinbrenner and Cohen.