Correa returns to Astros in stunner trade with Twins

HOUSTON -- Carlos Correa, one of the most popular players in club history and a standout performer during the Astros’ rise from a 100-loss rebuilding club to World Series champion, is headed back to Houston after he agreed to waive a no-trade clause Thursday.

In a blockbuster deal that had the baseball world buzzing on the day of the Trade Deadline, the Astros re-acquired Correa to play third base from the Twins in exchange for Minor League left-hander Matt Mikulski and cash. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that Minnesota will send $33 million to help cover Correa's remaining contract. Correa is owed $96 million through 2028, with club options from 2029-2032.

“Adding this caliber of a player is going to be a cost, but on our end we felt good about what this whole thing was going to play out to be,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said. “At the end of the day, we feel like this is going to be a good situation for us and the Astros.”

TRADE DETAILS
Astros get: INF Carlos Correa, cash
Twins get: Minor League LHP Matt Mikulski

Correa said he was going to join the first-place Astros in time for Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, where he’ll be reunited with former Houston teammates Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, who’s on the Red Sox.

"It’s going to be electric,” Correa told MLB.com. “It’s going to be a lot of fun and I cannot wait to get started with the guys again. I’m coming home and there’s only one goal in mind and that’s to win championships."

Correa, drafted as a shortstop by the Astros with the No. 1 pick in 2012, will make the move to third base. All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring strain. Houston also acquired infielder Ramón Urías from the Orioles in exchange for a Minor League pitcher, and outfielder Jesús Sánchez from the Marlins in exchange for pitcher Ryan Gusto and two Minor Leaguers.

“I’ve been wanting to play third base for the past couple of years, but it wasn’t happening in Minnesota,” Correa said. “We were waiting for a shortstop to come in and now that I get to play third base it would be great for me at this stage of my career.”

The Astros took Correa first overall in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Puerto Rico. Correa blossomed into a star and a franchise icon in Houston, leading the Astros to six trips to the playoffs, including three American League pennants and the 2017 World Series championship. He signed with the Twins after the 2021 season -- a season in which he won a Gold Glove and finished fifth in AL MVP voting.

“Very happy that I get to come back home and join the team that everything started with,” Correa said. “Also, my parents live there and they’ll be closer to the kids now and will be able to see them every day. I had some conversations with the front office in Minnesota and we were not moving in the direction that I thought we were after [making] the playoffs [in 2023], and they agreed with me that it was time to move me. I let them know there was only one team I would allow that to happen.”

It’s been an up-and-down season for Correa, who is slashing .267/.319/.386 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in 93 games with the Twins. He got off to an extremely slow start, followed by a strong May (.875 OPS), a June slump (.682) and a recovery in July (.759). Correa has at times shown signs of being the impact player he was as recently as last year, he just hasn’t been consistent.

“This guy’s done a lot here, he’s been very successful here,” Brown said. “We had talked earlier in the week about certain bats and knowing that he was available and knowing that he would give our clubhouse a charge, give the city a charge, this was a guy we started to talk more closely about and it started to come together.”

Brown wasn’t the Astros’ GM when Correa was in Houston previously, but manager Joe Espada was Houston’s bench coach. Brown hopes familiar faces and surroundings will make for a special reunion.

“This year, he’s been posting, so we feel good about that,” Brown said. “Get him back into a familiar ballpark, which is a hitter-friendly ballpark with familiar faces and familiar coaches, we felt we’re going to get a boost with that. And he’ll get a boost with more energy. This is one of those situations where we think he’s going to come in here and really pick up where he left off and be a real good addition to the clubhouse.”