MN Twins Moved One of Baseball’s Worst Contracts

Last season the Minnesota Twins made a boatload of moves at the trade deadline. Fueled by ownership’s desire to shed payroll, Derek Falvey effectively put a “for sale” sign at Target Field and was willing to deal anything with a pulse.

While some of the moves yielded respectable returns, dealing Carlos Correa to the Houston Astros amounted to nothing more than a salary dump. His former employer came calling, and he wanted to go home. Still, it’s a bit wild that Houston agreed to absorb such a massive contract.

Houston Astros Swallowing Carlos Correa Money

When the Minnesota Twins signed Carlos Correa for the second time, they were already his third choice. His play has declined in recent seasons, and self-inflicted injuries have only compounded the issue. Now with the Astros, The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen lists Correa’s contract among the worst in baseball.

Correa is guaranteed $96 million over the next three years. He’s still a somewhat productive player, but he’s a far cry from matching the $32.83 million he is set to make next season. For all Correa’s qualities, both tangible and intangible, it was puzzling to see the Astros trade at last year’s deadline to take on a contract that already seems underwater.

The Athletic

Minnesota is still on the hook for $33 million over the next three seasons, but Correa is being compensated handsomely by the Astros on top of that. Although he has since shifted to the hot corner, and Houston did get a fan-favorite back, it’s tough to justify the value they’re paying for.

Last year with the Twins, Correa posted just a 94 OPS+ and grounded into 19 double plays while his already limited continued to decline. It wasn’t the 30 GIDP he logged in 2023, but he still looked nothing like the All-Star he was in 2024.

Welcome home, Carlos Correa 👏

His first home game since being reacquired by the @Astros! pic.twitter.com/Yt8FylcnaT

— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2025

His 2.6 fWAR from last season suggests he remains a well above-average player, but that’s far from the superstar level he was paid to deliver. FanGraphs valued Correa’s output at $20.9 million, and even in his All-Star 2024 campaign he topped out at a valuation of $33.7 million.

Correa is set to make approximately $32 million each of the next three seasons. There’s almost no scenario in which he provides that level of value to Houston, and at age 31 with a growing injury history, the deal could become a financial anchor quickly.

It was unfortunate to see Correa jump at the first opportunity to leave a situation he played a role in shaping. That said, Minnesota is unquestionably better off not allocating significant money to an already depreciating asset.