Twins Fans Happy to See Carlos Correa Traded?

The trade deadline provided quite the shock for Minnesota Twins fans. No one was surprised that president Derek Falvey & Co acted as sellers, it was how they went about it, tearing the roster all the way down to its studs, but even core players weren’t safe.

In total, the Twins dealt 10 players off their active 26-man roster, but no move was more earth-shattering than the one that sent Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros. Leading up to July 31, a full rebuild seemed unlikely, especially being their best and most expensive players weren’t expected to go anywhere.

Byron Buxton made it clear he wasn’t waving his no-trade clause. Pablo Lopez had been on the IL since the first week of June and who was going to take on Correa’s bloated $37 million salary for 3.5 seasons?

Carlos Correa failed the Twins just as much as they failed him

Of course, we know what happened from there. Twins owner Jim Pohlad and Astros owner Jim Crane got on the phone and worked the money out directly. Minnesota would send $30 million to Houston, who agreed to then take on the remaining $70 million guaranteed on his deal. After that, the roster deconstruction was on.

In hindsight, Carlos Correa was destined to leave the MN Twins pretty much the moment the Pohlads decided to rollback player payroll, following their first postseason series victory in two decades.

At the same time, there is one way the Twins could’ve survived after slashing payroll. Had their largest free agent signing in franchise history been able to put the organization on his back, both rosters had plenty of talent to succeed.

Unfortunately, Correa proved he could not be that guy for a small to mid-market MLB franchise. Thus, he goes back to Houston where he will be just another contributor on a team full of stars, and under ownership willing to pay (and more) for championships.

Minnesota Twins fans: Good riddance Carlos Correa

When Derek Falvey and the cheapskate Pohlads needed their Correa investment to pay off most, he failed to produce. In 93 games for the Minnesota Twins this season, Correa posted a .267/.319/.386 slash line, good for a BELOW AVERAGE 93 OPS+. He started 2024 off hot, but sat out most of the 2nd half with plantar fasciitis.

In 2023, after multiple failed physicals landed him back in Minnesota, Carlos Correa gutted through 135 games while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his other foot, which resulted in a .230/.312/.399 batting line. In other words, Correa was below average while in a Twins uniform, just as often as he above average.

All of those factors play into the results from a recent Minnesota Twins fan poll, done at The Athletic. With just shy of 5,000 responses, Twins fans voted the “Correa salary dump” as the organization’s best move of the deadline, which feels like a collective “don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out” from the fanbase.

It says a lot about the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the Twins’ trade deadline in general that by far the most well-received move was eating $33 million to dump the other $71 million remaining on Carlos Correa’s contract while effectively receiving nothing in return.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

Related: Byron Buxton is the Leader Carlos Correa Couldn’t Be

Beyond just paying to see him leave, the Twins accepted a return in the form of 26-year-old Single-A pitcher Matt Mikulski, who had only been in the Astros organization for a few weeks and owned a 5.68 ERA at a High-A, when the deal was completed.

Since arriving in the Minnesota Twins organization, Mikulski has a 10.80 ERA to go with an even more hideous 5/11 K/BB ratio. At this point, he’s still being paid by the Pohlads for one reason and one reason only. Because waiving him would make more negative headlines.

Correa back at it without MN Twins

Not surprisingly, the soon-to-be 30-year-old shortstop third baseman has found his stride back in Houston. He doesn’t have to be the same vocal leader he was expected to be during his first stint as an Astro, or during his 3.5 seasons in Minnesota, and that decreased pressure has helped him flourish.

In 31 games in Houston, Correa owns a .293/.351/.407 slash line (120 OPS+), and has been largely the player Minnesota expected him to be. The Houston Astros are 77-64 and leaders of the AL West.

Carlos Correa, who couldn't come through with the bases loaded last night, hits a two-run homer off the RF foul pole to tie this game in the 8th. pic.twitter.com/DB4LPiupFW

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 6, 2025

Related: MN Twins Fans Make Hatred for Pohlads 98.5% Loud and Clear

Minnesota handed Carlos Correa a six-year deal worth $200 million after both the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants failed him on a physical. Correa then endured plantar fasciitis in consecutive seasons because he couldn’t figure out what shoes to wear. Tired of the performance Minnesota, and their fans, moved on.

To say that Correa wore out his welcome with the Twins would be putting it lightly. He feuded publicly with teammates and failed to be the leader this clubhouse needed. Then as soon as he got a chance, Carlos and the family that loved it here so much took their first ticket out of town.

Ultimately, it’s not the star shortstop’s fault that the Pohlads should have sold the baseball team they don’t seem to like a long time ago, or that the team he signed with changed course halfway through his contract. Still, he failed to be the hero he was brought in to be. Thus, he won’t be treated like one by Twins fans.