The Mets are still without what they “need.”
After weeks of negotiations, the Carlos Correa saga seemingly came to an end Tuesday, when the star infielder agreed to a six-year, $200 million deal that can rise to $270 million to return to the Twins. Correa had been engulfed in talks with the Mets for weeks about revising his 12-year, $315 million middle-of-the-night agreement after his physical raised concerns about his surgically repaired ankle, but the two sides couldn’t reach a compromise.
After originally striking a deal with Correa, days after Correa’s deal with the Giants broke down over similar physical concerns, Mets owner Steve Cohen notably told The Post’s Jon Heyman: “We needed one more thing, and this is it. This was important. … This puts us over the top.”
With Correa now out of the picture, the Mets seemingly still are lacking the vital piece of the puzzle that would, in Cohen’s words, put them “over the top” as World Series contenders. Cohen guaranteed nearly half a billion dollars to free agents this winter, but will it be enough? How much have Cohen’s millions actually improved a team that lost last year in the wild-card round?
On the surface, the Mets’ big-money signings largely replace departures or return players who were already on the roster.
Edwin Diaz returned on a five-year, $102 million deal, the largest-ever for a reliever, and Brandon Nimmo came back on an eight-year, $162 million contract. Both were necessary as vital parts of the Mets’ core, but neither marked improvements from the 2022 roster. And after Edwin Diaz’s career-best season, it’s certainly not assured he’ll deliver similar performances.
Justin Verlander arrived on a two-year, $86 million deal as a new ace, but the Mets, of course, lost longtime ace Jacob deGrom to the Rangers. They signed Japanese star Kodai Senga to a five-year, $75 million deal and added Jose Quintana to the rotation, but also let starters Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker walk and sign with the Blue Jays and Phillies, respectively. The Mets returned Adam Ottavino and imported relievers David Robertson and Brooks Raley, but lost Seth Lugo, Trevor May and Joely Rodriguez.
Without Correa, the only new bat added to the Mets’ lineup has been catcher Omar Narvaez, who had a .206 batting average last season.
Though it appears to be a like-for-like change, Verlander can deliver an improvement over deGrom in terms of availability. Despite being more than five years older than deGrom, the 39-year-old Verlander proved more durable last year, making 28 starts en route to the Cy Young Award compared to deGrom’s 11 starts. The Mets had to survive large parts of the season (and previous seasons) without deGrom, and by simply taking regular turns in the rotation, Verlander should add an element that was often missing alongside Max Scherzer. But this late in his career, not far removed from Tommy John surgery, his own health — and his ability to perform at an elite level — is no guarantee.
Though Senga put up remarkable stats in Japan, he remains an unknown in MLB. Would Mets fans right now sign up for what Bassitt delivered last year — 15-9, 3.42 ERA? Or what Walker offered, though he faded in the second half — 12-5, 3.49 ERA? Bassitt proved to be a reliable if not spectacular cog in the middle of the rotation, capable of going deep into games and easing the burden on the bullpen. Walker, though inconsistent, had stretches of top-level production. Will Senga be an improvement on that?
This late in free agency, there aren’t any hitters of Correa’s caliber available to sign. There remain potential trade candidates — The Post’s Mike Puma mentioned third baseman Anthony Rendon and outfielder Bryan Reynolds as options. Within the Mets’ organization, Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty, both of whom played briefly in the majors last year, could earn roles and provide offensive improvements. But that’s a big if, and neither exactly lit it up in their major league cameos.
At the moment, an offense that largely went missing in the team’s most important games last year has not been meaningfully improved. The Mets pushed their payroll and luxury-tax bills to record-setting levels in spending on the rotation and bullpen, but they offer replacements to quality players who left.
As Cohen himself said, the team “needed” another piece to elevate from wild-card-round losers to World Series contenders. As a result, they still haven’t gone “over the top,” as Cohen desired.
Today’s back page
Read more:
⚾ HEYMAN: Why Mets shouldn’t be that ‘disappointed’ Carlos Correa got away
🏈 Dexter Lawrence hopes to keep Giants tattoo intact with massive new deal
🏒 Rangers display resiliency in come-from-behind win over Wild
The Knicks’ close calls
Close doesn’t cut it.
The Knicks are well past the point of needing moral victories. At the midway point of the season, they sit at 22-19 and are one game out of the sixth seed in the East, which would allow them to avoid the tricky play-in tournament.
As The Post’s Mike Vaccaro wrote following Monday night’s loss to the Bucks, however, it feels as if every time the Knicks tease taking a step forward, they agonizingly sink back to what has left fans frustrated.
It’s most excruciating in the Knicks’ tight losses and also glaring against the league’s upper-echelon teams. The Knicks have shown promise and the potential to hang with the league’s big boys, but more often than not come up just short.
The losses often follow a few similar themes:
Woeful crunch time free throw shooting
Nov. 20: 109-103 loss to Bucks
The Knicks shot 65 percent from the free throw line, including 50 percent in the fourth quarter. Trailing by one with 47 seconds left, Jalen Brunson was fouled and had the chance to give the Knicks the lead, but made just one of his two free throws. The Bucks shot 80.8 percent from the line.
Dec. 23: 118-117 loss to the Bulls
The Knicks shot an abysmal 57.7 percent from the line. Up three with just over a minute to play, Quentin Grimes missed a pair of free throws. Up by one with a little more than six seconds left, Brunson also missed a pair of free throws. DeMar DeRozan subsequently drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater on the other end.
An inability to close games
Dec. 27: 126-121 OT loss to the Mavericks
The Knicks did just about everything wrong down the stretch in this one, becoming the first team in at least the past 20 years to lose after leading by at least nine points with 35 seconds or less remaining. Most important was coach Tom Thibodeau’s decision as Luka Doncic prepared to shoot his second free throw with the Knicks leading by two with four seconds left. Expecting Doncic to miss on purpose, Thibodeau had his guards face-guard the Mavericks’ guards outside the arc in anticipation of Dallas attempting to tip the ball out off the missed free throw. That strategy left an open spot on the block that would normally be occupied by a Knicks rebounder, and nobody boxed out Doncic. After the ball was batted around, Doncic was able to corral his own rebound and nail a buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime.
Jan. 9: 111-107 loss to the Bucks
Leading by as many as 17 and by 78-70 after three quarters, the Knicks were outscored 38-29 in the fourth. Trailing by one with just over a minute left, the Knicks allowed the Bucks to secure two offensive rebounds before Jrue Holiday hit a dagger 3-pointer. While Brunson (44 points) was carrying the offense, Julius Randle disappeared — he scored just three points in the quarter and had two turnovers to finish off a 1-for-12 shooting night from beyond the arc.
The lack of a true No. 1 option
Oct. 19: 115-112 OT loss to the Grizzlies
In both teams’ season opener, Ja Morant scored 34 points and racked up nine assists — and he either scored or assisted on all of the Grizzlies’ points in overtime.
Dec. 25: 119-112 loss to the 76ers
Joel Embiid scored 35 points with eight rebounds, and James Harden poured in 29 points and 13 assists as the duo took over and erased an early 12-point deficit.
Oct. 30: 121-108 loss to the Cavaliers
Leading 93-84 entering the fourth quarter, the Knicks were outscored 37-15 in the final frame as Donovan Mitchell provided a reminder of what they missed out on in failed offseason trade talks. Mitchell scored 38 points and had 12 assists, including 11 points and four assists in the fourth quarter.
Nov. 13: 145-135 loss to the Thunder
The Knicks had no answer for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who racked up 37 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Practice makes perfect?
The Nets find themselves in familiar territory — but perhaps with better tools to work with.
After he limped off the floor during the Nets’ win over the Heat on Sunday, the team announced Kevin Durant had suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee, the same injury that sidelined him last year and derailed the Nets’ season. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Nets sit in second in the Eastern Conference at 27-13, eerily similar to the 27-15 record they owned last year when Durant was sidelined. They went 5-16 during his six-week absence, throwing their entire season off-kilter. They eventually were swept in the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
This time around, the Nets will have Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons at their disposal, but will be without James Harden. Also, Jacque Vaughn is leading the effort as head coach instead of Steve Nash.
What must happen for the Nets to endure Durant’s injury and avoid last year’s disaster:
• Irving must prove he can be a leader, or enough of a leader to carry a lot more of the scoring load for an offense that heavily relied upon Durant, who was enjoying an MVP-caliber season. Perhaps more important, Irving will have to match Durant’s overall influence on his teammates as the one they listen to on the court.
• The Nets must continue to rally around Vaughn, who has dramatically improved the team since taking over as head coach. During last year’s slide, the Nets seemed to tune out Nash, causing the problems to worsen. It’s on Vaughn to figure out how to keep the Nets on track. It’s on his players to listen.
• Simmons has to elevate into a bigger role. He can’t merely be the third wheel, but a game-changer who can contribute on both ends of the court.
• Joe Harris must rediscover his form. He has struggled to find his rhythm all season, suffering through his worst 3-point shooting stretch as a Net. Role players Seth Curry and T.J. Warren must help provide scoring as well — without their defensive liabilities sinking the Nets.
