Carlos Correa Says Astros Trade Talks Not 'Serious,' Goal is to 'Win Here' with Twins

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa brushed off the idea of a possible reunion with the Houston Astros ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

The veteran said his focus is on winning with the Twins.

“That’s not something I think is serious right now,” Correa said, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome. “We’ll see where everything goes. But my goal has always been to be here and win here. I’ve been talking to Derek (Falvey) and Rocco (Baldelli) and I’ll be ready for the next series.”

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Wednesday that the Astros were mulling the idea of trading for either Correa or Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals to replace the injured Isaac Paredes, who has been on the injured list since July 19 with a hamstring injury.

Nightengale added that Correa "has told friends on the Houston Astros that he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause to rejoin them, and would welcome playing third base.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that Minnesota and Houston have had discussions regarding Correa but are "far apart" and a possible trade.

Correa spent his first seven years in the majors with the Astros, helping the club win a World Series in 2018 and appearing in two more during his time there. Despite winning the Platinum Glove Award and making his second All-Star appearance in 2021, Houston let him walk in free agency, and he joined the Twins ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Correa's reunion would be an expensive one for Houston as he's due $96 million from 2026 to 2028 and has vesting options every year from 2029 to 2032. It's hard to say whether he's worth the price tag this year since he has just seven home runs, 31 RBI and a .267 batting average.

With Correa indicating that a possible trade to Houston is unlikely, the Astros need to find a player to fill the void that Paredes left. The 26-year-old is hitting .259/.359/.470 with 19 homers and 50 RBI.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters earlier this week that Paredes' injury is "a little bit more severe than we projected."

Houston is in a good position heading into the trade deadline, sitting at 62-47 and controlling the AL West, but finding someone to take over if Paredes is out for the year could be the difference between being a contender and exiting early.