Did anyone see this coming? Hours before the trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins reportedly sent Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros, where he began his career and won (*cough*) a World Series. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart was first on the news. The return remains unknown as of this writing.
Report: Carlos Correa Returns to Astros in Deadline Day Trade
Correa was a major piece of the Astros’ youth core that helped carry them to postseason success in the late 2010s. Debuting in 2015, he won the American League Rookie of the Year award that season. He slashed .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in just 99 games.
Through 2021, Correa appeared in three World Series with the Astros, winning it in 2017. Of course, that title was marred by the Astros’ cheating scandal, but neither Correa nor any other Houston player was punished in connection with it. That season and 2021 (another pennant year) were Correa’s best statistically in Houston. He was a member of the AL All-Star team in both campaigns.
After Houston
Correa left the Astros after 2021 to sign a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins. While that’s a short contract for a star of his caliber, it contained opt-outs after each of the first two seasons. Sure enough, Correa opted out after the 2022 season. What ensued was one of the twistier offseason sagas in recent memory.
Initially, Correa was in agreement on a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. However, the Giants saw an issue with Correa’s ankle during his physical and sought to renegotiate. His famously stubborn agent, Scott Boras, wanted no part of it and reached out to other teams. Correa then had a similar deal in place with the New York Mets for 12 years and $315 million. But the Mets developed similar concerns about his ankle. Ultimately, amid attempts to renegotiate, Correa instead re-signed with the Twins on a six-year, $200 million deal.
While he put up mostly solid numbers in Minnesota, particularly in another All-Star campaign last season, they did not approach the success he had in Houston. Prior to today’s trade, Correa was having a pedestrian season at the plate, slashing .267/.319/.386 with seven home runs and 31 RBI. The Astros are hoping he can recapture his prior success in his new, or rather old, stomping grounds.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images
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