Astros interested in former star Carlos Correa as MLB trade deadline action heats up
The Astros want to get the band back together.
Houston is looking into a potential reunion with former star and current Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed Wednesday.
No deal is close, though, per Heyman, and several hurdles stand in the way before Houston can bring back an important member of its 2017 World Series championship team.
Correa, 30, has a full no-trade clause and is said to “love” being in Minnesota, per Heyman.
The infielder is also a righty bat, while the team prefer a lefty.
Houston is searching for a bat while dealing with an assortment of injuries in its attempt to win the AL West.
The Astros are without star slugger Yordan Alvarez, shortstop Jeremy Pena, third baseman Isaac Paredes, second baseman Brendan Rodgers and center fielder Jake Myers, among others.
That doesn’t even include the season-ending injuries to Christian Javier and Ronel Blanco, plus Spencer Arrighetti being sidelined.
Despite the injuries, Houston leads the AL West by four games entering Wednesday and there’s reason to believe their championship pedigree will serve them well in a wide-open American League.
Correa, in theory, would provide some stability, but there are questions about what kind of player he is in his 11th season in the league.
He was slashing just .267/.319/.386 for a .704 OPS entering the day, to go along with seven homers and 31 RBIs.
While Correa posted a .905 OPS last year and hit .310, he tallied just a .711 mark the previous year.
His contract is also rather large and could make a deal tricky.
He’s on the books for roughly $96 million over the next three years, and then has team options for $25 million, $20 million, $15 million and $10 million in the following four years, respectively.
Those options vest, though, with certain plate appearances, top-five finishes in MVP voting, Silver Slugger honors and World Series or ALCS MVP awards.
Correa spent the first seven years of his career with the Astros before signing with the Twins prior to the 2022 season and then re-upping the next year on a six-year, $200 million deal.
The Twins are one of the teams that could ignite the trade deadline, with closer Jhoan Duran, reliever Griffin Jax, center fielder Harrison Bader and infielder Willi Castro among possible trade options.