Houston is reportedly exploring the possibility of a reunion with Carlos Correa
MLB Trade Rumors: The Houston Astros have talked about Carlos Correa with the Minnesota Twins, per multiple reports, in what is probably the most interesting rumor I’ve seen so far for this trade deadline.
Correa, of course, was drafted by the Astros first overall in 2012, winning the Rookie of the Year for the club in 2015 and being one of the key parts of the club from 2015-21. Expected to land a mammoth deal after the 2021 season, Correa had long-term contracts with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants fall apart due to medical concerns. He ended up signing with the Minnesota Twins that offseason, opted out after one year, and then re-signed on a 6 year, $200 million deal with team options from 2029-32 that can vest based on plate appearances or other factors.
Correa was excellent for the Twins in 2022, but struggled in the first year of his new deal in 2023. He was great in 2024 when he was on the field, slashing .310/.388/.517, but only played in 86 games. This year, in 93 games, he is slashing .267/.319/.386, and his defensive metrics at shortstop are not good.
The Astros’ offense has been just average this season, and third baseman Isaac Paredes reportedly could be out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury that was more severe than initially thought. Jeremy Pena is started a rehab assignment and will soon be back at shortstop, so if the Astros were to acquire Correa, he’d presumably play third base in Paredes’ absence, or possibly second base.
All that being said, the chances of a deal appear to be remote. The Twins are in sell mode, but Correa is under contract for a while, so he’s not someone they have to move now or lose him. The Astros would also, I imagine, want the Twins to subsidize a good chunk of the roughly $95 million he is guaranteed from 2026-28, as well as some of the roughly $12 million he is still owed for this year. Even with some of that subsidized, acquiring Correa would likely push the Astros into luxury tax territory for the second year in a row. And Correa has a no-trade clause, which further complicates things.
As I said at the outset, this is perhaps the most interesting rumor of the deadline days so far. The chances of this actually happening, though, seem pretty remote. But hey, that’s part of the fun of the trade deadline, right?