After the team’s own big fan and billionaire Steve Cohen took over the club, the New York Mets became a team that was not envious, at least in terms of money. Owner Cohen, who is not afraid of a huge luxury tax (wealth tax) as long as he can win, spent money generously this offseason.
Jacob deGrom (Texas) left the team, but Justin Verlander was recruited, and the starting rotation was rather thick with contracts with Senga Kodai and Jose Quintana. A long-term contract with Brandon Nemo is also indispensable. And with their starting shortstop Francisco Lindor already there, they were looking to spend another $300 million or more on another shortstop, Carlos Correa.
안전놀이터 However, the contract was not concluded. A physical examination revealed several abnormalities, and the Mets wanted to revise the contract. Meanwhile, Correa returned to Minnesota and signed a six-year, $200 million contract.
At this point, the local media are showing interest in “Where will the Mets spend the money they decided to invest in Corea again?” The Mets have clearly demonstrated that they are willing to spend a total of $300 million on a specific player. As the owner of Cohen is not the type to save money, the prevailing prospect is that the amount will be carried over and recruited again in the future.
Columnist John Heyman of the ‘New York Post’ also predicted on the 13th (Korean time) that he would look to the next market, saying that there were no players or superstars in their prime in the remaining free agent (FA) market. “Cohen is a big game hunter and it’s fun to guess who’s going to be next,” he said, citing a few players. Shohei Ohtani (29‧ LA Angels), who will qualify for free agency after the 2023 season, was included for granted.
Heyman quoted industry insiders as saying Ohtani said that when Ohtani entered the majors, he said he didn’t want to go to New York. The match for Ohtani’s recruitment was hot enough that many major league clubs even presented their signature stars with them, but it means that they weren’t very interested in the hometown of New York or felt burdened.
But that was five years ago, and the Mets, with owner Cohen, who ‘want to win the title by any means,’ is a club enough to interest Ohtani.
Heyman predicted that the propensity of Cohen’s owner could appeal to Ohtani, who also wants to win, and predicted, ‘The Dodgers appear ready to play in the Ohtani race, and the bid will be at least $500 million.’
A $500 million contract is a feat no one has ever stepped on in major league history. But it doesn’t seem impossible either. In recent years, large contracts worth more than $300 million have been popping up one after another, and Ohtani boasts a much higher value than those $300 million contracts.