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Astros strike blockbuster trade to bring World Series hero back home

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Climbing Tal's Hill

Pittsburgh Pirates v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

As soon as word got out that the Houston Astros were entertaining a reunion with Carlos Correa at the trade deadline, Astros fans were worked into a frenzy. While not the lefty bat that they have coveted, Correa's name recognition and upside alone is enough to at least entertain the idea of bringing him back and it sounds like he would be willing to be traded if a deal was struck.

The question was how to construct a deal that makes sense for both sides. Correa's track record is tremendous, but there is no denying that he has had a rocky few years in Minnesota and he is also owed a lot of money through at least 2028. Houston may have the upper hand in talks with the Twins, but they weren't going to give him up for free and money is going to be a driving concern.

Little developments have been made public when it comes to the Astros' pursuit of a Correa trade over the course of the day. However, there was some noise in the afternoon that a trade wasn't dead and now Astros insider Brian McTaggart just dropped the bombshell that Correa is coming back to Houston.

Astros appear to pull of the impossible and reunite with Carlos Correa on trade with the Twins

Details are light at the moment, but it does appear as though the financials that were the primary obstacle to overcome in talks with the Twins. Correa is making over $37 million this season and while the subsequent years do descend in value, they don't by much. The biggest thing to watch for is who is covering how much money as that decision will almost certainly inform the rest of the trade package.

The deal is done. Correa has waived his no-trade clause as expected the plan is for him to play third base for the Astros. Isaac Paredes being out for the rest of the season (and potentially the start of the 2026 season) likely factored into Houston's urgency here. As for the Twins, they loved Correa, but his contract was an albatross around the neck of a franchise that is trying to be sold. At first glance, this deal looks like a win-win for both sides.

Of course, the devil is in the details and we don't have those just yet.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.