Astros Looking at Bringing One of Their Former Star Players Back at Trade Deadline

Correa won a World Series and made two All-Star Games during his first stint in Houston.

Twins shortstop Carlos Correa could be involved in a trade back to the Astros ahead of the Thursday MLB trade deadline. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Carlos Correa began his MLB career with the Houston Astros, winning AL Rookie of the Year after being called up early during the 2015 season. He went on to capture a World Series with the club two years later, and made two of his three All-Star teams with the Astros.

Correa signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins in free agency in 2022, but as the Twins look to sell ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline, Correa could be on the move. Correa has a no-trade clause in his deal, but would waive it to head back to Houston, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports.

The Astros are also targeting a pair of bats at third base—St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado and Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez—according to Nightengale, but Correa would give Houston a very familiar, friendly face to bolster the lineup for the playoff push. Suarez would represent a much different offensive threat than Correa, who has seven home runs and 31 RBIs on the season, with below-average OPS+ of 93, though Correa would be a solid addition for Houston's defense.

To make a move happen, Minnesota will likely have to eat a big chunk of Correa's contract, Nightengale reports. He is on the third year of a six-year, $200 million contract, which includes potential vesting options for the 2029 to '32 seasons if Correa hits certain benchmarks including silver slugger, LCS and World Series MVP awards and top five regular season MVP finishes. Those convert to club options if they do not vest.

The Astros are currently 61–47 and four games up on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, but with the possibility of third baseman Isaac Paredes being out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, it appears that Houston is ready to push its chips in to the center of the table to make a run at a third World Series championship since 2017.

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