Minnesota Twins Made the Correct Decision in Trading Carlos Correa

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Signed to a six-year, $200 million contract in January 2023, Carlos Correa joined forces with the Minnesota Twins on a long-term deal, signaling a new, celebrated era of Twins baseball. The club splurging on Correa beckoned a meaningful shift in the club ownership's willingness to open their pocketbooks to field a World Series contender. Unfortunately, that change was not sustainable, evidenced by the Pohlad family enforcing strict spending restrictions, mandating the front office to slash $30 million from the club's payroll two offseasons ago, and remaining unwilling to meaningfully raise payroll this past offseason.

That being the case, Correa's behemoth contract ($33.33 million AAV) occupied over one-third of the club's payroll, meaning the star veteran would need to perform at an All-Star rate to justify him occupying such a significant amount of the club's available payroll. He failed to rise to expectations during the inaugural season of his long-term deal in 2023, evidenced by his production being worth a mere $14 million, according to FanGraphs's Value metric. However, given that he was able to lead the club to its first postseason victory in nearly 20 years while combating a severe case of plantar fasciitis, Twins Territory was willing to be charitable to the star shortstop.

The fanbase's generosity paid off in 2024 as the then-29-year-old earned his first All-Star nod with Minnesota while generating a 152 wRC+ over 317 plate appearances. Unfortunately, Correa's bout with plantar fasciitis resurfaced, forcing the veteran to miss over three months before returning to a club that was nearing the conclusion of a cataclysmic late-season meltdown. Still, his strong first-half performance created a sense of optimism within Twins Territory, making those who follow the team believe he could still perform at an above-average rate, health permitting.

Despite battling through left wrist soreness earlier this season, the now-30-year-old veteran has maintained a clean bill of health this season. Unfortunately, his numbers slipped to 2023 form, evidenced by him generating a below-league-average 97 wRC+ over his first 364 plate appearances this season. Correa's lackluster performance mimicked the Twins as a whole, with the club possessing an uninspiring 3.4% chance of earning a Wild Card spot on July 31.

Destined to miss the postseason for the second season in a row, Twins decision-makers elected to undergo one of the more significant active roster teardowns in modern baseball history, parting ways with ten players on the club's 26-man roster, including Correa. The former first overall pick was sent back to his Houston Astros, the club with which he won a World Series title in 2017, in what was perceived by many to be a pure salary dump. However, given the highly paid veteran's inability to meet the expectations set by his hefty deal, Minnesota decision-makers were wise to part ways with him and his bloated contract once the opportunity arose.

As reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Correa's departure from Minnesota was primarily orchestrated by Astros' owner Jim Crane, Correa's agent Scott Boras, and Correa (who possessed a full no-trade clause) himself. Out of respect for the veteran, Twins President of Baseball and Business Operations Derek Falvey was going to greenlight a trade to any destination Correa requested. That being the case, Minnesota had little to no control over whether Correa would stay with the Twins or return to Houston. That being the case, Crane, Correa, and Boras handed Minnesota a reprieve, an unexpected development that those who follow the Twins should be incredibly grateful for.  

Sans the first half of the 2024 season, Correa has been unable to produce offensively for Minnesota since signing his six-year deal. Given his steady decline in defensive prowess at shortstop, Minnesota would have soon been forced to slide the veteran to shortstop, a move that Houston was able to undergo immediately by rostering Jeremy Pena, one of the best shortstops in baseball. Given the club's significant financial restrictions that will continue to exist as long as the Pohlad family owns the team, Minnesota couldn't afford to have a poor-hitting corner infielder consume such a significant portion of the club's payroll if it wants to earnestly contend for an AL Central title or Wild Card spot in the near future.

Possessing a near-elite starting rotation and the makings of an offensive core that could produce at an above-average rate, Minnesota has not yet entered a full-fledged rebuild, meaning the club could meaningfully contend next season with a handful of bullpen reinforcements and a fortification of its lineup. I am not naive about the club's situation. I understand that if the Pohlad family still owns the team at the end of the season, the front office is unlikely to be handed meaningful spending flexibility. Still, there is reason to believe the club could afford to pursue and sign above-average veteran contributors like Josh Naylor, Luis Rengifo, Eugenio Suárez, or others who could add potency to what is presently a stagnant lineup, something the club wouldn't have been able to do if they were to have been still been bogged down by Correa's bloated contract.

Again, given Minnesota's lack of control over the situation, it would be malpractice to celebrate Correa's departure as a form of front office savviness, similar to when club decision-makers got the New York Yankees to absorb the remainder of Josh Donaldson's contract. Still, to have Houston take on $71 million of the remaining $104 million left in Correa's deal should be a celebrated outcome, even though it was more so a gift that landed in Minnesota's lap rather than the result of shrewd decision-making. Minnesota is in a very unique spot. While times justifiably feel bleak for many at the moment, Twins Territory resides at the dawn of a new era.

Having played a soulless brand of baseball for the better part of two seasons while being on the brink of missing the postseason for the fourth time in five seasons, Twins decision-makers were correct in gutting a core that had become rotten. Parting ways with Correa and his bloated contract was the transaction that needed to be made to spark a newfound sense of optimism surrounding this organization.

While this front office likely won't be the ones who reap the benefits of this mass exodus, assuming new ownership hires a new collective, they should be celebrated for being able to rip the proverbial band-aid off what was a lifeless team. A baseball organization grows great when front office executives plant trees in whose shade they may never sit in. Twins decision-makers shedding Correa's contract and electing to undergo a significant overhaul was the correct long-term decision for the organization, even though persevering through short-term ramifications will likely be an unpleasant endeavor.

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[Otwins]

I am glad they made the trades to blow it up. I had not enjoyed watching this team much their past couple hundred games. Soulless baseball is a new term to me but I think you are spot on. There has been a lot of debate on the returns of these trades but I am glad they made them all. There needs to be new energy and accountability on this team. It had to start with moving Correa and his contract. He was not going to be of any value to the Twins this year or next as they change direction. There would be two years left on his contract when the Twins may be trying to contend plus some vesting options. To get out from under that was the best move they made at the deadline. You are correct to not credit the front office for moving the contract since they are the ones that created this mess.

[EGFTShaw]

IM(every so)HO: 

(channeling Ron White's voice from the bit on the hurricane man in the Keys)

It is not THAT C4 was traded, it is WHAT we got in return for trading C4.

Might as well taken a case of vintage C4 Bobbleheads or maybe a week of Houston weather to be delivered in April next year.

[Doubles]

Guess I wasn’t aware Correa had become a “fan favorite” of Twins Territory. 

[Parfigliano]

27 minutes ago, Doubles said:

Guess I wasn’t aware Correa had become a “fan favorite” of Twins Territory. 

I wasn't aware they had a near elite rotation.

[Bodie]

39 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I wasn't aware they had a near elite rotation.

Same sort of "elite" as an outfielder with an elite arm that gets run on more than anyone.   Successfully. 

Or the "elite" reliever whose blown 7 games in just over a half season.

You know, Falvey-esque, new Twins-style elite!

[TNtwins85]

Love the article! The Twins lucked out on this one and it represents why the Twins shouldn’t be swimming in this end of the pool. These FA contracts almost never turn out worth it. Especially when ownership isn’t willing to supplant spending. They should have went all in after ‘23. The window was wide open to make a 2-3 year run. That window slammed shut when ownership decided to “right size” the product on the field which ultimately led to this point. Not saying we wouldn’t have gotten to this point eventually probably next year but ‘24 and ‘25 should’ve been spend what it takes to make a run. Instead the FO was hamstrung by ownership and here we are. 

[tony&rodney]

Well, Correa will still be the 3rd highest contract paid out by the Twins in each of the next 3 years. So Carlos is still with us in a way, just not in the lineup.

[hitterscount]

"Having played a soulless brand of baseball for the better part of two seasons"

This says it all. The every day line-up sucked the fun, enjoyment, expectations, dreams.... whatever the reason for watching the team, by mid-July. From sloppy baserunning, defense, or little to no discipline at the plate it, the season soured way to soon.

With that, as unimpressed I have been with Wallner, Larnach, France.... Correa was the biggest disappointment. 30 plus million and there was no clutch in him. Like BigFork... I loved the signing, was hopeful that it was a sign we were going for a serious postseason run. It never materialized and dumping nearly 70 million in salary was IMO the best trade made at the deadline.

[laloesch]

1 hour ago, TNtwins85 said:

Love the article! The Twins lucked out on this one and it represents why the Twins shouldn’t be swimming in this end of the pool. These FA contracts almost never turn out worth it. Especially when ownership isn’t willing to supplant spending. They should have went all in after ‘23. The window was wide open to make a 2-3 year run. That window slammed shut when ownership decided to “right size” the product on the field which ultimately led to this point. Not saying we wouldn’t have gotten to this point eventually probably next year but ‘24 and ‘25 should’ve been spend what it takes to make a run. Instead the FO was hamstrung by ownership and here we are. 

The other thing to consider is the bally sports diamond bankruptcy and disruption of their TV and streaming services.  That hurt the Twin's revenues A LOT!  That factored in this decision to cut back the payroll beginning last year.  It was hard for all of the fans to witness, but that's why it happened.  All that said, let's not kid ourselves.  The Pohlads have a ton of commercial real estate holdings and commercial real estate has been floundering badly since Covid wracking up massive debt for them.  People need to remember these guys were the king pins of slash and burn grabs during the depression and post WW2 in the upper midwest. 

They decided with the botched cable streaming rights with Bally that it was time to dump all of it, and in a shear stroke of utter stupidity decided they would shift a lot of those commercial debts onto the Twins franchise pulling a fast one on the next buyer.  They pushed Carousel motor group's debts onto the Twins and all in all almost 400 million dollars. Unsurprisingly, Justin Ishbia saw right through it and wisely backed out. 

I mean anyone who's been to Target Field recently may have noticed all of the closed food stands and beer stands and that's because they are operating at a 40 million dollar loss this season.  It really does look like a bankruptcy if you ask me.  The sooner they sell the team the better.  It would be a shame for them to jettison Lopez, Ryan, Ober, etc.  

Them dumping Correa's contract brought them back to solvency +++++ for next season.  Essentially payroll will be 48 million + arbitration raises dropping from 125 million this season.   They had better extend Ryan and Ober this offseason with that big of a drop.

[Paul Walerius]

3 hours ago, EGFTShaw said:

IM(every so)HO: 

(channeling Ron White's voice from the bit on the hurricane man in the Keys)

It is not THAT C4 was traded, it is WHAT we got in return for trading C4.

Might as well taken a case of vintage C4 Bobbleheads or maybe a week of Houston weather to be delivered in April next year.

Astros ate the majority of the contract.    It would have been a better prospect if the Twins paid the majority.   

I am not taking away from the player we got he might end up being a very good player for Twins.  

[Dman]

I wanted the Correa signing and felt at the time he might be able to push the team to new heights.  The cupboard was bare in the minors at short and short felt like the missing piece on the team.  

Whatever the reason it just never became a good fit. Injuries a drop off in defense and offense left us no better off than before.  Both sides tried to make things work, but sometimes things just don't work out.

I still think he can be effective in Houston.  His bat was bouncing back albeit with little to no power, but he wasn't swinging as wildly and able to go the other way.  I think as he gains more confidence the power will come back.  I think he can be a decent 3rd baseman as well especially for 20M per year.

Still he wasn't going to be a good future fit for this team.  Lewis is at third. They have Lee who can play shortstop short term until Culpepper is ready and they have Keaschall for second base.  There wasn't going to really be room for an aging player taking up 30M per year on the team.  With the news that payroll appears to be back to around 100M they needed that contract mostly off the books and they got that done.

I think just all around it was time for Correa and Twins to move on.

[ChermesZ]

Baseball is not healthy if a contract like that has to be moved for free (or minimal cost).

[Doctor Gast]

19 hours ago, EGFTShaw said:

IM(every so)HO: 

(channeling Ron White's voice from the bit on the hurricane man in the Keys)

It is not THAT C4 was traded, it is WHAT we got in return for trading C4.

Might as well taken a case of vintage C4 Bobbleheads or maybe a week of Houston weather to be delivered in April next year.

I'm not against trading Correa or having the kids a shot. The Twins have been flat, IMO, not because of the players, so much, but more that the stadium was empty, it was empty because they were losing, they were losing because Falvey couldn't see the problem & didn't know how to solve it & he never really listened to the players.

You never sell a player when he bottomed out. IMO, he would have raised his value this fall while shoring up a fragile INF. We could have done much better this offseason. If HOU really wanted him (which I believe they did) Falvey should have driven a much better deal.

[NotAboutWinning]

The team is playing like a weight has been lifted. Just saying.

[Jeff K]

The Twins could not possibly reload their roster with Correa's full contract.  It was an aircraft carrier sized anchor around their collective necks.  

Whether Correa is/was cooked as a top player, he was not going to get the Twins anywhere.  I won't miss his insincere ways nor his grounding into double plays.  

Edited August 9, 2025 by Jeff K
grammar

[jkcarew]

Longer term, I don’t know if it will turn out to be the correct move or not. Depends on what, if anything, is done with the money saved.

I’m pretty sure Correa is NOT done being a good player. Simply getting rid of him doesn’t make the club better over the next few years.

[Edgard]

On 8/8/2025 at 11:56 AM, Doubles said:

Guess I wasn’t aware Correa had become a “fan favorite” of Twins Territory. 

We are so ungrateful, Correa took this team to the Playoff, he was an all Star last year and he brought his leadership and pedigree to this ball club.  We never gonna have a player like Correa soon.

[Edgard]

We are so ungrateful, Correa took this team to the Playoff after many years, he was an All Star last year and he brought his leadership and pedigree to this ball club. He wanted  to stay in MN and acco.plish his ultimate goal. We never gonna have that kind of leadership,and clutch hitter for a long time, he is winner.

[insagt1]

I agree with the move. Injury prone like Buxton Twins can't afford to have them both out so much. I'm not saying good riddance at all..and the return was abysmal...but the time had come. Twins will always.pinch pennies with current owners so financially it made sense. We'll see if the team responds down the stretch

[Edgard]

On 8/9/2025 at 9:24 AM, Jeff K said:

The Twins could not possibly reload their roster with Correa's full contract.  It was an aircraft carrier sized anchor around their collective necks.  

Whether Correa is/was cooked as a top player, he was not going to get the Twins anywhere.  I won't miss his insincere ways nor his grounding into double plays.  

We are so ungrateful, Correa took this team to the Playoff after many years, he was an All Star last year and he brought his leadership and pedigree to this ball club. He wanted to stay in MN and acco.plish his ultimate goal. We never gonna have that kind of leadership,and clutch hitter for a long time, he is winner.

[Edgard]

On 8/8/2025 at 2:00 PM, hitterscount said:

"Having played a soulless brand of baseball for the better part of two seasons"

This says it all. The every day line-up sucked the fun, enjoyment, expectations, dreams.... whatever the reason for watching the team, by mid-July. From sloppy baserunning, defense, or little to no discipline at the plate it, the season soured way to soon.

With that, as unimpressed I have been with Wallner, Larnach, France.... Correa was the biggest disappointment. 30 plus million and there was no clutch in him. Like BigFork... I loved the signing, was hopeful that it was a sign we were going for a serious postseason run. It never materialized and dumping nearly 70 million in salary was IMO the best trade made at the deadline.

We are so ungrateful, Correa took this team to the Playoff after many years, he was an All Star last year and he brought his leadership and pedigree to this ball club. He wanted  to stay in MN and acco.plish his ultimate goal. We never gonna have that kind of leadership,and clutch hitter for a long time, he is winner.

[Jeff K]

3 hours ago, Edgard said:

We are so ungrateful, Correa took this team to the Playoff after many years, he was an All Star last year and he brought his leadership and pedigree to this ball club. He wanted to stay in MN and acco.plish his ultimate goal. We never gonna have that kind of leadership,and clutch hitter for a long time, he is winner.

I like Correa.  The Twins were no longer going to win with him and his contract was a barrier to retooling the roster.

[Vanimal46]

No surprise that Correa is back thriving in Houston. .974 OPS in 11 games with them. The only reason it was correct to trade him now is if our training staff was convinced he is damaged goods. Doesn’t appear so at this point in time.