Bob Nightengale: Astros Exploring Reunion With Carlos Correa

[Matthew Trueblood]

Carlos Correa's contract is team-friendly. That's an important thing to keep in mind. The salaries might be too high to accommodate for many teams, but the structure of the deal—front-loaded, with team options of diminishing values beginning in 2029—makes the terms favorable to the team. That's why the Twins were willing to jump back in and sign Correa, after he nearly agreed to deals with the Giants and Mets in the winter of 2022-23.

Keep that in mind today, because Bob Nightengale of USA Today has a report this morning that the Astros are pondering a reunion with Correa, via trade. Correa has a full no-trade clause in there, too, but Nightengale says that he would waive it to go back to Houston. The other key detail of the report is that the Astros would demand that the Twins pay a significant portion of the remaining money on Correa's deal. Therein lies the rub, it seems.

There's a case to be made for that position, but if the Twins aren't getting either huge savings or a significant prospect in return for Correa, it would seem like a massive mistake to trade him this summer, at a nadir in his value. We'll see what (if anything) comes of this.

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[Brock Beauchamp]

Absolutely not. Losing Correa's salary just gives the Pohlads an excuse to further lower payroll. Correa makes around $30m next season.

Someone tell me with a straight face that if the Pohlads somehow get out of that $30m, they will reinvest $30m back into payroll.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Absolutely not. Losing Correa's salary just gives the Pohlads an excuse to further lower payroll. Correa makes around $30m next season.

Someone tell me with a straight face that if the Pohlads somehow get out of that $30m, they will reinvest $30m back into payroll.

I'm with you on this. I don't see any way that the Pohlad's would reinvest the salary savings in any meaningful way. I'm not even certain that a new owner truly would either.

That said, if Correa is unhappy AND the Twins don't think he can be a high end SS anymore, then maybe that's the reasoning? 

[Brock Beauchamp]

6 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I'm with you on this. I don't see any way that the Pohlad's would reinvest the salary savings in any meaningful way. I'm not even certain that a new owner truly would either.

That said, if Correa is unhappy AND the Twins don't think he can be a high end SS anymore, then maybe that's the reasoning? 

If Correa wants to leave, I don't blame him.

And if new owners don't raise payroll in an attempt to put on a good face, oh boy are we in ****ing trouble.

[Cody Schoenmann]

Just now, Brock Beauchamp said:

If Correa wants to leave, I don't blame him.

And if new owners don't raise payroll in an attempt to put on a good face, oh boy are we in ****ing trouble.

THIS IS RICH COMING FROM A BREWERS FAN 

(also, i'd love to take Brice Matthews off Houston's hands) 

[Dman]

Yeah I don't know.  It seems like a trap either way.  The Twins could trade Correa to the Astros and pay down his salary this year to help them not go over.  Maybe pay 10M of his salary next year and 5 the year after if Houston will send back a decent prospect in return.  That one move would make room for all the arb raises and give the team money to spend again to round out the roster.

Paying another team to take a good player and then essentially paying them to keep that good player is gonna be a really tough look if Correa gets hot in Houston.  Still the fit for whatever reason just hasn't been the best in Minnesota.  It's not like both sides aren't trying. but maybe home is where the heart is and maybe Correa can get his game and life back on track in Houston?

I don't know what the best answer is, but it has been tough sledding with Correa the last three years.

[bunsen82]

I still think odds are Correa has a bounce back year next year.  Its basically a 3 year 95 million contract after this year.  

Now would the Twins reinvest it.  Not all of it,  you can tell they feel the crunch,  but I do think they would reinvest 20 million of it.  However,  thats not occurring if we are paying Correa's contract.  Thats beyond stupid.  Now if we ate 30 million would they give us a bit of a prospect? Who knows.  I do see Houston as a potential landing spot but I don't see them doing any favors for us. 

Honestly, Correa has given us 10.5 War in the last 4 years.  Thats not bad.  I do think the Twins sold him on a bill of goods of becoming big spenders and fleshing out the roster and have not been able to fulfill that promise.   At the same point we gave him a 200 million dollar contract.  

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

THIS IS RICH COMING FROM A BREWERS FAN 

(also, i'd love to take Brice Matthews off Houston's hands) 

Almost every owner talks a good game when they enter the sport. If an owner is restricting payroll on day one, that means the Twins have a Bob Nutting-level owner and we all might as well stop watching this team.

[Dman]

18 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

THIS IS RICH COMING FROM A BREWERS FAN 

(also, i'd love to take Brice Matthews off Houston's hands) 

Yeah they would almost need Matthews unless they just play Lee there the next year or so. Hard to find a decent shortstop in FA without spending a fair bit of money.  I think they only get him if they pay down future years in the contract though.

If Correa kind of wants to go back would the Twins try and stop him?  I am guessing they could get a deal done if Houston is willing to play ball.

It would make the Twins a younger team again with more young players on the way.  Not sure how I feel about it, but it sure seems like a possibility as Houston could use a veteran bat and a guy they know excels in the playoffs.

[Cory Engelhardt]

21 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Almost every owner talks a good game when they enter the sport. If an owner is restricting payroll on day one, that means the Twins have a Bob Nutting-level owner and we all might as well stop watching this team.

Are the Twins a better team in 2026 with Correa at SS again? Or are they better with Culpepper or Lee at SS, along with adding Walker Janek and a starting pitching prospect they like? Just throwing this out as a thought experiment

[Brock Beauchamp]

4 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Are the Twins a better team in 2026 with Correa at SS again? Or are they better with Culpepper or Lee at SS, along with adding Walker Janek and a starting pitching prospect they like? Just throwing this out as a thought experiment

They're probably better without Correa on the team. But that's the nature of big contracts, and I'm not a fan of exploiting "efficiency" to the point it diminishes the fan experience. I have absolutely no desire to see the Twins become the Tampa Bay Rays.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 minute ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

They're probably better without Correa on the team. But that's the nature of big contracts, and I'm not a fan of exploiting "efficiency" to the point it diminishes the fan experience. I have absolutely no desire to see the Twins become the Tampa Bay Rays.

IF they are better in 2026, isn't that the goal?

Not saying they truly become the Rays. But if getting off of Correa does open a spot for Culpepper (as an example) and allows to sign someone else (even if it isn't a total payroll as high) that still is a tier or 2 ahead of how Tampa has operated right?

Anyway, I'm 3 steps ahead here. This is probably just a rumor. Fun thought experiment.

[Road trip]

It would depend a bit on the return and how much salary the Twins need to retain, but I wouldn't be averse to trading Correa.

Correa was a great player, HOF track.  But the past three years have not been encouraging.  His body may be failing...not his fault, and I don't doubt his work ethic, but I don't think he is a player that is going to age well.  He is already pretty slow on the bases, he's losing range in the field, and he isn't hitting at anywhere near the rates he once did.  If we want a faster roster (heard daily on TD), shortstop is a good position to add speed (Culpepper by 2027?).

For a small market team the highest paid players have to perform, otherwise you get a sub .500 season.  Correa, Buxton, and Pablo are rightly the three highest paid players, and all are high injury risks.  To manage the risk, one of them probably has to go... and it won't be Buxton.

[The Great Hambino]

I could see the savings being reinvested indirectly in the form of retaining some arb raises that they'd otherwise move contracts to avoid.  But reinvesting in new free agents?  Not likely.  

But it's a moot point anyway if the Astros' expectation is that the Twins retain a significant chunk of salary.  That defeats the purpose of trading him.  I think they've shown with the Paddack/Dobnak trade that they're prioritizing salary relief over prospect return right now

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

IF they are better in 2026, isn't that the goal?

Not saying they truly become the Rays. But if getting off of Correa does open a spot for Culpepper (as an example) and allows to sign someone else (even if it isn't a total payroll as high) that still is a tier or 2 ahead of how Tampa has operated right?

Anyway, I'm 3 steps ahead here. This is probably just a rumor. Fun thought experiment.

Correa has been a bit of a disappointment perhaps but he is still the only shortstop. A huge question ... Can Kaelen Culpepper step in and play full time next season. We have seen WestSacramento and LAA stick guys with limited experience out there and they did ok.

There is zero chance the Twins pay most of the contract, but perhaps they pay $10M per year for the next three years. Seems like that would be the limit. 

I can't worry about how the Twins use that money. Looking over the FA pile for this coming winter is mostly just sad beyond the huge contract guys. I'm just hoping the Twins improve the roster overall and if Culpepper is ready that is a go for me.

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, The Great Hambino said:

But it's a moot point anyway if the Astros' expectation is that the Twins retain a significant chunk of salary.  That defeats the purpose of trading him.  I think they've shown with the Paddack/Dobnak trade that they're prioritizing salary relief over prospect return right now

The Astros would need to pay everything above $10M or this doesn't work. 

I'm not sure salary relief was the only goal in trading Paddack and Dobnak. For sure it was a factor, but clearly there was close to a zero market for those guys and so one takes the best offer out there.

[DJL44]

Is there a chance they swap disappointments? Correa for Christian Walker saves the Twins $50M and fills the giant hole at 1B.

[Vanimal46]

I’m torn on this. If the Twins trade Correa now, they need to be pretty confident there isn’t a medical procedure or something else they can do to restore Correa’s health.

If this is truly who Correa is moving forward, sub .700 OPS offense with diminishing efficiency in the field, then it may be the only shot we have to get out of the contract. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

3 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I’m torn on this. If the Twins trade Correa now, they need to be pretty confident there isn’t a medical procedure or something else they can do to restore Correa’s health.

If this is truly who Correa is moving forward, sub .700 OPS offense with diminishing efficiency in the field, then it may be the only shot we have to get out of the contract. 

This IS the argument.

[Brock Beauchamp]

29 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

IF they are better in 2026, isn't that the goal?

Not saying they truly become the Rays. But if getting off of Correa does open a spot for Culpepper (as an example) and allows to sign someone else (even if it isn't a total payroll as high) that still is a tier or 2 ahead of how Tampa has operated right?

Anyway, I'm 3 steps ahead here. This is probably just a rumor. Fun thought experiment.

I try not to think about prospects if they're more than a month or two out. "Clearing space" for a guy like Culpepper isn't even on my radar as a thing. If he was in Triple-A and hitting really well, then I'd factor him into plans. Otherwise, not even a factor. You'll get yourself into a lot of trouble if you dream on prospects who are multiple levels away from the majors.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I try not to think about prospects if they're more than a month or two out. "Clearing space" for a guy like Culpepper isn't even on my radar as a thing. If he was in Triple-A and hitting really well, then I'd factor him into plans. Otherwise, not even a factor. You'll get yourself into a lot of trouble if you dream on prospects who are multiple levels away from the majors.

I get that, and not at all arguing that thought. Maybe it's Brooks Lee at SS next year. Maybe it'd be a different SS not in the organization. I just said Culpepper because he may be at AAA before the end of the year and certainly could debut in 2026. Doesn't mean he is ready to take over at SS, but he could debut next year in my opinion.

[LakesPibble]

OMG yes please.

He's not going to magically get younger.  And even if the Pohlads don't reinvest all $30MM,+ if it frees up even $15MM that's a lot of money.

 

[jaimedude]

I''m indifferent. I would l s like to keep  Correa and see the team start winning again. If Correa want's out and waives his no trade you would have to honor it. Either way we know that Pohlads would only be doing this trade force salary dump so it?'s not like the retirn would be that good.  One thing we know as Twins fans it is 100% certainty that the Pohlads wouldn't not re-invest any of the salary. They cannot sell this team fast enough.  I want to keep Correa but with Twins looking to sell it is likely Pihlads want to clear the payroll decks. THEY ARE JUST LIJE THE A's owner. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I think it is too soon to write off Correa. If Buxton could somehow turn things around and get healthy (for at least most of 2025), then there is hope for Correa - unless of course there is something going on behind the scenes that we're not privy to.

 

[SteveLV]

I would do this if the Astros actually send some value back to the Twins, not just as a salary dump.  And I would then NOT trade Ryan and try and extend him this off season.

The Twins would then have solid starting pitching and look for younger and better position players to fill out the team.

I would be curious if Correa would waive his no trade.

[Brock Beauchamp]

19 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I get that, and not at all arguing that thought. Maybe it's Brooks Lee at SS next year. Maybe it'd be a different SS not in the organization. I just said Culpepper because he may be at AAA before the end of the year and certainly could debut in 2026. Doesn't mean he is ready to take over at SS, but he could debut next year in my opinion.

Oh, there's certainly a chance Culpepper debuts next year, maybe it's even likely given how he's playing. But even if that happens, Correa can easily slide over to third base, where he's better than Lewis.

The defense on this team is one of many things that needs to improve.

[Cory Engelhardt]

6 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Oh, there's certainly a chance Culpepper debuts next year, maybe it's even likely given how he's playing. But even if that happens, Correa can easily slide over to third base, where he's better than Lewis.

The defense on this team is one of many things that needs to improve.

Lots of things to figure out for sure. 

Rumors around the deadline are fun aren't they? :)

[mickster]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Are the Twins a better team in 2026 with Correa at SS again? Or are they better with Culpepper or Lee at SS, along with adding Walker Janek and a starting pitching prospect they like? Just throwing this out as a thought experiment

I would say YES, they are better with Correa at SS in 2026.   He is a thinking man shortstop.  No, the bat hasn't been what we had hoped for.   Culpepper - wow, that is a reach!!   I just don't think the return would be high enough.

[mickster]

55 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

I could see the savings being reinvested indirectly in the form of retaining some arb raises that they'd otherwise move contracts to avoid.  But reinvesting in new free agents?  Not likely.  

But it's a moot point anyway if the Astros' expectation is that the Twins retain a significant chunk of salary.  That defeats the purpose of trading him.  I think they've shown with the Paddack/Dobnak trade that they're prioritizing salary relief over prospect return right now

Disagree.   Paddack brought a lottery ticket C.   I am sure 90% on here all year wanted him off the team.  Now they can bid for him back

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

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Astros Exploring Reunion With Carlos Correa