Minneapolis – Rumors began to circulate that Carlos Correa would be open to a trade, returning him to the Houston Astros on Wednesday morning.
Twenty-four hours later, it looked all but dead, and it seemed like Minnesota’s highest-paid player in franchise history would be staying put past the deadline. After the Twins game on Wednesday, Correa didn’t see the trade as a high possibility of going down and reaffirmed his commitment to stay in Minnesota.
“That’s not something I don’t think is serious right now,” Correa said. “We’ll see where everything goes. But my goal has always been to be here and win here. I’ve been talking to Derek (Falvey) and Rocco (Baldelli), and I’ll be ready for the next series.”
Correa had a no-trade clause included in his six-year, $200 million deal that he signed in January of 2023. He confirmed during the same scrum on Wednesday that he’s never had to waive the no-trade clause before. Would Houston be the exception?
It turns out they would. Come 3:00 pm Central Time on Thursday, two hours before the MLB trade deadline, everything changed. Correa was traded back to Houston for LHP Matt Mikulski, a 26-year-old who hasn’t pitched above High-A.
Then the bombshell dropped: Correa waived his no-trade clause and accepted the trade to return home to Houston, leaving the Twins after three and a half seasons. Shock. Frustration. Outrage. Unsettled. Just a few words to describe the outcry reaction from Twins Territory as the trade was announced.
The front office under Falvey has now traded away the two highest-paid players they signed, Correa and Josh Donaldson, who signed for four years and $92 million in 2020, before their contracts expired. Donaldson only returned Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez, who had only played a season with the Twins.
Correa was supposed to be the superstar to put the Twins over the edge, be the leader in the clubhouse, and help the next wave of Minnesota’s promising core to continue playoff appearances over the years. Instead, he battled multiple injuries and underperformed during the regular season. However, in Minnesota’s lone postseason run with him in 2023, he hit .409 with four RBI in their six games.
His final numbers, spanning over three and a half years and 450 games played: a 10.4 bWAR, 61 home runs, 214 RBI, and a .271/.345/.440 slash line, 118 OPS+, 186 walks, 381 strikeouts, and 65 double plays grounded into. Even with an All-Star appearance in 2024, Correa’s most memorable moment will be his 2023 postseason performance.
His highlight from the postseason will always be the game the Twins won over the Astros in the division series that season. It catapulted him higher in the all-time postseason RBI list, tying him for third all-time at 63 with David Justice.
Correa’s numbers during the regular season performance weren’t exactly what the Twins were hoping to get out of his $35 million per year salary. However, he truly shone as a team leader in the clubhouse and a strong mentor to the younger players.
He described doing just that on Wednesday as the trade rumors hung over the clubhouse postgame, and with many players feeling uneasy about the winds of change to come.
“I’ve been having a lot of conversations with players and trying to keep them focused and the things they can control in the daily work we do here, to go out and try to win games,” Correa said. “Whatever happens, happens. That’s the front office’s job, and it’s not an easy job. You let them figure out that part, and we figure out the baseball part. You deal with whatever happens after that.”
Now, with players feeling a sense of dread given the major shakeup, Correa’s departure leaves a gaping hole that may take a long while to recover for the remainder of the season.
Brooks Lee will fill in as the everyday shortstop down the stretch, and the lineup will be missing a major right-handed bat that will take time to refill. The Astros will move Correa to third base as his successor, Jeremy Pena, returns from the IL in August.
