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The New York Mets have the second highest payroll in baseball–behind the Los Angeles Dodgers–but have the worst record across all 30 teams.

Juan Soto and the Mets’ hold the record for the highest total value contract in MLB history, with a 15-year, $765 million deal signed in 2025.

New addition, Bo Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million contract this offseason, adding on to the high-value contracts of Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Marcus Semien.

However, back in 2022 the New York Mets nearly signed Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa to a 12-year, $315 million deal. Unfortunately for Correa, they were unable to reach an agreement due to Correa’s physical regarding an ankle injury in 2014.

The Mets have finally gotten confirmation that Correa’s deal falling through was worth it after the shortstop is set to receive season-ending surgery on his ankle.

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Carlos Correa’s Season-Ending Injury Is A Payroll Reminder For New York Mets

Before signing with the New York Mets in 2022, Carlos Correa made history with the San Francisco Giants. Correa and the Giants reached an agreement on a $13-year, $350 million contract.

However, a week later the deal fell through and Correa was reported to sign with the Mets.

Neither deal ended up going through, and Correa ended up signing a six-year, $200 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. The shortstop was then traded back to the Houston Astros in July 2025.

Correa was supposed to be one of the top free agents in the 2022 class, however he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a fractured right fibula at 19 years old with the Astros.

MLB Insider of USA Today, Bob Nightengale, reminds fans that it was the medical staff who told the Mets and Giants to back out of their contracts with Correa in 2022.

“It was medicals on Correa’s right ankle that prompted the Giants and Mets to back out of $300 million-plus contracts in the 2022 winter before he signed with the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Astros at last year’s trade deadline,” Nightengale wrote.

Mets’ owner Steve Cohen has received a lot of backlash that last couple seasons, and even more in 2026, however fans have come to the support of his decision to back out of the Correa deal in 2o22.

Mets’ YouTuber and reporter Tyler Wardy writes, “Say what you will about the misses the Mets have had under Steve Cohen, backing out of their Correa commitment will go down as one of the smartest moves NYM ever make. Think about how bad things would be [right now] tied down to that initial $300+M contract offer.”

If the Mets were to have signed Correa, it leaves many lingering questions on whether or not the Mets would have traded for Marcus Semien, would Juan Soto still be a New York Yankee, would Pete Alsono have stayed, would they have signed Bo Bichette?

All in all, a season-ending injury to a $300 million player is not what the 2026 Mets team needs.

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MLB World And Mets’ Fans Reacts to Carlos Correa’s Injury

Many Mets’ fans took to X to share their reactions about Carlos Correa’s season-ending ankle injury after nearly signing him in 2022.

@BnsfRails1: There’s a reason why the Giants and Mets had a failed physical on Carlos Correa a few years ago

@MaxMannis: A pretty wild alternate baseball universe thought is “what if the Mets still signed Carlos Correa to a long-term deal?”

In response to Mannis’ tweet, @Mets2026 replied: It would have been a very big disaster.

@EWRNYC1: If that Correa deal went down, the Mets would have him and Juan Soto would be a Yankee. Just think about that for a second.

Astros fans have also shared their reactions on social media.

@Hebhammer94: Lost season for Houston with Carlos Correa done, Christian Javier, Jeremy Peña, Josh Hader & Yainer Diaz hurt, Tatsuya Imai a disaster and the entire pitching staff regressing. On top of having one of the worst farms in MLB. Might be time to trade Yordan Alvarez.