Have you seen the sports headlines lately?  Money is flying fast from teams to players.  I don't want to hear owners in the next union contract negotiations complaining about the cost of doing business. It's obviously the owners driving up the cost of doing business and higher ticket prices are next.

The latest is Carlos Correa, who just won the baseball lottery also known as free agency.  Correa is a career .279 hitter with power and a good glove.  He is good, but I wouldn't sign him for more than 10 years.  But baseball has changed, as any fan can tell you. It reminds me of Tony Oliva, who just joined the Hall of Fame.  Back in 1972, Tony had just won his third AL batting title and got the Twins to reward him with a two-year contract worth a $ 100,000 per season.  

This is the money story and sit down before you read the numbers:     

Free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa won't be going to the San Francisco Giants after all.

Hours after the Giants postponed Correa's introductory news conference Tuesday, in the early hours of the morning on the East Coast, the New York Mets swooped in and reportedly offered Correa a 12-year, $315 million deal to play third base.

So are the Mets the most expensive roster in baseball?  It looks like that way, but it could change.

So why so much money?  This is an opinion from Ronald Blum and Jay Cohen:    

The March labor agreement that set industry rules through 2026 is one factor behind the increased spending, but there are several more forces at play.

The labor deal included an expanded playoff format, leading to more TV money for owners, and cleared the way for advertising on uniforms and helmets for the first time.

Under the five-year agreement, the luxury tax threshold rises to $244 million by the final season and tax rates remain unchanged at the initial, second and third thresholds. A new fourth threshold was added -- supposedly aimed at Mets owner Steve Cohen -- but it looks as if the billionaire views that hefty tax bill more like a nuisance as he pushes his team's payroll to near $400 million.

So advertising on uniforms and baseball streaming on I-Phones will pay for all of this?  I sure hope so.  I guess we will have to double check the uniforms next season to see if the guy batting is named Smith or Chevrolet!

Power to the players and I hope they make a lot of money.  Some of us long for the days when contracts had something to do with hitting .300 or winning 20 games.  

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Image: Keith Allison.