HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are closing in on a reunion with franchise icon Carlos Correa.
The Astros and Minnesota Twins are close to finalizing a deal for the three-time All-Star shortstop to return as Houston’s third baseman, league sources told The Athletic on Thursday.
Correa will waive his no-trade clause and the Astros will absorb at least some of the $96 million guaranteed to Correa for the next two seasons. It is yet unclear how much money the Twins will eat, but they will get a prospect in return.
He is making $33.3 million this year — a figure that, even if paid down by the Twins, would launch the Astros over the luxury tax for a second consecutive season for the first time in Jim Crane’s ownership tenure.
Crane was crucial in getting this deal done, according to two team sources. Crane has long been a fan of Correa and, by reacquiring him, continued to cement his reputation as one of baseball’s most aggressive owners during the trade deadline.
Even when sources from both teams downplayed the chances of a Correa trade on Wednesday morning, the possibility always existed due to Crane’s influence. This is the same owner who authorized last-minute trades for Justin Verlander in 2017 and Zack Greinke in 2019 — both of which stunned the baseball world.
Houston selected Correa with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft and witnessed him blossom into one of the faces of its current golden era, leading the team to a 2017 World Series title. Correa won American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and started an ascension to superstardom.
He became one of the most influential voices inside Houston’s clubhouse, helping to shepherd it through the fallout from the electronic sign-stealing scandal in 2020 and 2021.
The financial landscape of the Twins has changed drastically since Correa signed with the club in January 2023. At the time of the six-year deal, the front office had money to compete and build around the shortstop, fielding a club-record $153 million payroll that season.
But last October, the Pohlad family began to explore a sale of the club after 40 years of ownership, which ushered in financial uncertainty. Though there was a payroll increase of $15 million this season, the team has operated with restrictions just a year after the front office was forced to slash the budget by $30 million. The Twins added only three free agents — the now-traded Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe, and Ty France — on one-year deals ahead of the season and none of the club’s growing list of arbitration-eligible players has been signed to long-term deals.
Before TwinsFest in January, Correa acknowledged the issue.
“We’re in a spot now where we cannot invest — it is what it is,” Correa said. “You’ve got to live with that, and you’ve got to go out and play with the players that you have. I feel like the talent is in this clubhouse, we’ve just got to put it all together.”
(Photo of Correa: David Berding / Getty Images)