So as I was thinking about my off teh wall deal to benefit from and help the Mets secure Carlos Correa, I thought of a way that a trade would be legal under current rules (presumably)

The end result is still the same. it allows the Mets to offset the risk of the final couple of years of Correa's 12 year $315M contract due to the ankle.

Currently there are deals that include PTBNL. 

Currently the CBA allows for "cash considerations" to come into play to help offset the cost of salaries being moved from one team to the next.

SO lets take those two known and accepted trade chips.

The Twins trade Max Kepler (With the expectation that the Mets must immediately pick up the team option for him for 2024) along with recently signed Christian Vasquez. The Twins also send the Mets "Cash Considerations" in the amount of $50M.  Of course the Twins woudl need a significant return by trading away their starting catcher and RF  AND kicking in $50M to basically cover 100% of their salaries. Or at least as far as the trade goes that is why we are kicking in money, and nto to pay the final years of Correa's deal **wink wink**.

In return the Twins get Francisco Alvarez, and Player(s)To Be Named Later.  lets say at least 2 if not 3 additional PTBNL. 

That is a straight up trade that is fair and within MLB guidelines... I presume.

If we can structure the $50M payout over time, then we pay $1M for each of the next 10 years, and then $20M each in year 11 & year 12. Of course this coincidentally coincides with the final 2 years of Correa's deal, and if it is front loaded the first 2 years of the deal at $33M instead of the $26.25 AAV and then the last 2 years are at $20M. Now the Mets have themselves some insurance against injury.  If it CANT be paid out like that, and has to be paid out over the course of the existing contracts, then we simply pay  $18.5M this year, $20M next year and $10M the third year, and it is up to the Mets to use those funds to offset Correas deal at the back end.

The PTBNL must be chosen within 6 months. the MLB player draft is 7/9-7/11, so we agree in principle on a trade, but do not execute it until just before Spring training to allow for any player the Mets pick in the draft to be eligible to be a PTBNL.

SO what kind of haul would we get in this scenario?  well lets assume whoever the Mets take in teh 1st round of the draft is a solid propsect.

It would look something like...

#1 Francisco Alvarez - the top prospect in all of baseball, and potentially secure our catching situation for the next decade. then 3 PTBNL

PTBNL #1: Possibly Brett Baty, a MLB ready top prospect. he is a 3B/OF so somewhat redundant to what we already have but quality young depth is nto a bad thing!!!

PTBNL #2: Lets assume whoever the Mets take in teh 1st round of teh draft.

PTBNL #3: Lots of options, could go with big bats that are also near MLB ready like Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos,   Or could go super young with a prospect like 17 year old Simon Juan (compared to a young Byron Buxton/George Springer) to "layer arrivals".  OR could try a pitching prospect like Blade Tidwell.

and while you could say the Twins cannot afford to pay out $50M. But there is a way you can rationalize it.  The Twins would have been on the hook for at least $40M, and the whole $50M if we would have picked up Kepler's option for next year at $10M. So if we would have been paying that for Vasquez & Kepler, and we have league minimum players in Alvarez, and one of Baty, Wallner, Larnach, Kiriloff replacing Kepler, all at league minimum, and all being potential upgrades, then it really is a wash.

The Mets can afford to move Alvarez, because they still have the #4 catching prospect who is also near MLB ready AND would have Vasquez in place for the short term.  And with Correa going to 3rd, Baty also becomes somewhat expendable. There was talk of him moving to OF, but they get very good defender in Kepler who has potential to be a good bat as well.  I would say a Correa/Kepler combo would out Produce a Alvarez/Baty combo for a contending team.  

This is a deal that can get done independently of them signign Correa, but get done with the signing of Correa in mind for the Mets.