The so-called Cohen Tax, as it was nicknamed when M.L.B.’s collective bargaining agreement was reached earlier this year, is a financial threshold that was designed to either rein in Cohen’s spending or allow other teams to profit from his largess. It has not restrained him, and since 50 percent of the tax payments go to other teams, those other clubs will share about $55 million from Cohen in his pursuit of spending his way to a championship.
When the Mets were controlled by the Wilpon family, Boras often made jokes about the team shopping in bargain bins for players, a legacy bolstered by the aftermath of the family losing hundreds of millions in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. Now, much to the delight of fans and agents like Boras, the team’s fortunes have changed dramatically under Cohen, who purchased the team in 2020.
“They are in the caviar section,” Boras said. “This is about championship baseball in a major market.”
Boras said he provided the Mets with full medical reports on Correa and did not expect them to react as the Giants did. He characterized the holdup with San Francisco as a disagreement over the results of the reports and added that the Giants’ medical concerns were not related to a previous back injury.
“Medical opinions are just what they are,” Boras said, “opinions.”
The Giants, citing confidentiality, acknowledged their general concern, but did not elaborate in a statement released Wednesday morning and attributed to Farhan Zaidi, the team’s president of baseball operations.
“While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination,” the statement said. “We wish Carlos the best.”
The Mets did not respond to requests for comment, but Cohen told The Post, “This puts us over the top.”