Everyone Loves a Reunion: Astros Acquire Carlos Correa

There’s nothing quite like a reunion in Major League Baseball. Over the past few days, there has been increasing chatter surrounding a reunion between the Houston Astros and long-time shortstop Carlos Correa.

On Thursday, right in the middle of what has been an eventful deadline day, the Astros struck a deal with the Minnesota Twins to bring Correa home.

The Astros have been without star shortstop Jeremy Pena for just over a month now after he hit the injured list with a fractured rib. Just recently, they also lost star third baseman Isaac Paredes to a torn hamstring. The timeline on Paredes’ injury hasn’t been nailed down just yet, but it’s possible his season is over.

So it’s pretty obvious why the Astros were interested in Correa, who has reportedly agreed to take over as the club’s primary third baseman. Pena is due back from the injured list as soon as Friday, so it looks like the Astros are going to have a shiny, new left-side of the infield on their hands.

Carlos Correa Traded (Back) to the Astros

Correa is not going to need an introduction in Houston, that’s for sure. After being the club’s first-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, he debuted with the big-league club in 2015 and spent the next seven seasons as the club’s superstar shortstop.

During his first stint in Houston, Correa won the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year Award and made a pair of All-Star Games while establishing himself as one of baseball’s most talented shortstops.

As of right now, Correa is 31st in Astros history in games played, 27th in hits, 14th in home runs and RBI, 17th in batting average, and sixth in OPS. Considering the long history of successful players to wear an Astros uniform, it’s pretty impressive what he was able to accomplish in under a decade on this team.

Now he’s back and ready to climb further up those leaderboards.

Correa signed with the Twins ahead of the 2021 season and then re-signed with them after a complicated trip through free agency prior to the 2023 campaign. He comes with a ton of control, as he’s under contract through at least the 2028 season. He’s got three vesting options for the 2029, 2030, and 2031 seasons as well.

Initially, the financial aspect of this deal between Houston and Minnesota is what held up the talks. Correa is still owed over $103 million in guaranteed money, but apparently the two sides were able to come to an agreement to bring the infielder back to where it all began. He had a full no-trade clause that was waived in order to make this reunion a reality.

What the Twins Get in the Deal

UPDATE: 8:00 p.m. EST, July 31st

We now know what the Twins were able to get in the Carlos Correa deal, which is primarily salary relief. In regard to prospects, the return was 26-year-old left-hander Matt Mikulski. A second-round pick by the Giants back in 2021, calling Mikulski a prospect is maybe even a stretch at this point.

Mikulski has never pitched above High-A, where he had a 5.68 ERA this season. A lefty with good stuff who could potentially be a reliever is fine, but it is hardly a return you’d expect for a player with the name value of Correa.

The reality is, Correa’s contract was a negative asset, and what the Twins really get is $70 million of future financial flexibility by making this move. The Twins will eat roughly $33 million of the $103 million still owed to Correa.

This move allows the Twins to reset for the future, with new ownership expected to be on its way soon.

A Busy Day For the Astros

Getting Correa was only a single piece of Houston’s puzzle. Alongside him, the Astros swung a trade for Jesus Sanchez of the Miami Marlins and also brought aboard infielder Ramon Urias in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Sanchez, is a 27-year-old outfielder who has had a wRC+ north of 100 in each of the past three seasons and has been one of the Marlins’ most consistent bats. He can play all three spots in the outfield and is under team control through 2027. With Jake Meyers and Yordan Alvarez on the injured list, the Astros took a big swing at landing a replacement bat.

Urias, 31, is a versatile infielder who can bounce around all over the dirt. He’s hitting .248 with an 89 wRC+ this year, knocking eight out of the park in the process. He’s sporting a 108 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this year, which should do nothing but help an Astros team that’s second in the game in wRC+ against southpaws this season.

While nothing has been agreed upon just yet, it also sounds like the Astros are also actively pursuing Dylan Cease from the San Diego Padres. Landing him and the three aforementioned position players within the span of 24 hours makes for a legendary run from the Astros’ front office.