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The Houston Astros surprised all of baseball after reuniting with Carlos Correa, and Minnesota Twins fans were completely blindsided. Correa was supposed to be a centerpiece of their organization along with Byron Buxton for years, but it was over in a blink of an eye. Still, there have been some takes lately that Minnesota did well to get rid of the aging Correa and his salary and that the organization could be better off in the end. If they've been watching Correa since he left, they might not be feeling the same way.
It was completely fair to have tempered expectations of Correa to start with. He did have those lingering injury concerns and as he has aged, Correa hasn't been as explosive as he once was. That would have been fine as long as he was reasonably productive, but instead it appears as though Correa has turned back the clock through his first few games back with the Astros.
Twins loss is the Astros' gain after Carlos Correa's hot start to his welcome back tour
No one would have faulted Correa if he got off to a slow start in Houston. He was having to move over to third base and the change in teams, which was very sudden, came with a lot of attention and pressure. If there was an adjustment period, Correa would have been forgiven as long as he turned things around relatively quickly.
Instead, Correa has looked like an offensive force at the plate since coming back to the Astros. After accumulating a mediocre .704 OPS this season with the Twins, Correa slashed .286/.348/.429 in his first five games with Houston and that was before he went 3-5 with two doubles against the Marlins on Wednesday.
Are we dealing with small samples here? Absolutely, and there is a real risk that fans will look back on the Correa trade as an expensive mistake pushed by a stubbornly intrusive owner. However, for the moment at least, bringing back Correa is more than just a nostalgia play. If trends hold, it may be what pushes the Astros over the top this coming postseason. As for the Twins, they will just have to wonder what might have been.