MLB Trade Deadline: Mock Swap Sends Carlos Correa Back To Houston, 3 Righty Starters To Minnesota

You’d expect a piece like this—an article that mock trades a professional athlete to a former team—to open with a cliché along the lines of, “You can’t go home again. Or can you?’

That’s lazy writing, but who are we do defy expectations? So…

You can’t go home again. Or can you?

Yes. Yes, you can. Or so Carlos Correa hopes.

The Correa Roller Coaster

In March of 2022, after a brilliant seven-year run with the Houston Astros, shortstop Carlos Correa signed a three-year, $105 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, with opt-out clauses after each of the first two seasons. After doing some contractual dancing with the Giants and the Mets during the winter of 2023, Correa inked a six-year, $200 million deal to stay in Minny.

Correa’s Twins career has been a ride, and not always a good one. Last season—an injury-shortened campaign—the now-30-year-old racked up the second .300-plus batting year of his career (.310) while hitting 14 home runs in 319 plate appearances. The previous season, however, his .230 average and 1.4 WAR were among the worst of his career.

Here in ‘25, Correa has leveled off, hitting .267 while banging seven dingers and 31 RBIs—decent, but not what you’d hope for from a dude taking home $37 mil. And it’s not like Correa’s presence has done much for Minnesota: As per Stat Muse, the team’s record with him in the lineup is 223-227.

If Minny can find a way to get off of his contract—something Correa is willing to facilitate by dropping his no-trade clause—it might be time to send him on home.

Houston Astros receive:

Carlos Correa (SS)

Minnesota Twins receive:

A.J. Blubaugh (RHP, Triple-A)

Ethan Pecko (RHP, Triple-A)

Miguel Ullola (RHP, Triple-A)

Cash considerations (Houston would assume the remainder of Correa’s contract)

All Right, All Right, All Right

Outside of Joe Ryan—who, if Minnesota was, y’know, good, would be in the Cy Young conversation—the Twins’ starting isn’t what you’d call, y’know, good.

Chris Paddack, Bailey Ober, Simon Woods Richardson, Pablo Lopez, and David Festa are a combined 15-26, and Paddack, Ober, Richardson, and Festa sport ERAs of, respectively, 4.95, 5.28, 4.24, and 5.40.

Point being, Minny could use some mound reinforcements.

Blubaugh, Pecko, and Ullola are all solid Triple-A prospects, but a solid Triple-A prospect doth not necessarily an MLB stud make. That said, if you have three solid Triple-A prospects, you’d assume that one of them will pan out.

So if the Twins can shed Correa’s albatross-y deal and land a triad of hard-throwing righties in the process, ta-da.

Blast Off

With a career-best 21 dingers, Correa’s final season in Houston (2021) was a darn good one. He has yet to find that form with the Twins, but maybe a return to his old Texas digs will get his mind and body right.

Sure, Houston manager Joe Espeda would need to figure out how to get Correa and Jeremy Pena on the field at the same time, but there are certainly worse problems to have.

So if 2025 Carlos Correa can become some semblance of 2021 Carlos Correa, the American League will be on notice.

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