It all looked a little suspicious Tuesday when the Giants canceled a news conference in which they were expected to introduce Carlos Correa.
Then overnight it was followed by the stunning news that the $350 million agreement between San Francisco and the infielder had indeed fallen apart, and Correa is headed to the Mets on a 12-year, $315 million deal. For Giants fans, it's like when Charlton Heston sees the destroyed Statue of Liberty at the end of the "Planet of the Apes" and bellows out in primal fury.
That's probably what 29 other major league owners are doing right now. When Steve Cohen completed his purchase of the Mets after the 2020 season and became the richest owner in the sport, there was always the fear that he would ignore the unspoken agreement among owners and run his payroll well over the luxury tax threshold. He somewhat held the line his first two seasons, although the Mets did run a $288 million payroll in 2022, second highest behind the Dodgers and higher than the Yankees have ever run.
Now comes Correa to complete an offseason for the ages.