Last week's trade deadline was one of the most chaotic in recent memory, but arguably no deal was more shocking than the one that sent Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros. Even just days prior, the thought of Correa (and his massive contract) changing teams was almost unthinkable. But then came a report, seemingly out of nowhere, that the Astros might be interested in a reunion. Then came another saying that Correa would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for Houston — and only Houston. And then, amid the Twins' historic fire sale, the 2017 World Series champ was headed back home.
Not without a little bit of drama, though. Correa's decision to bail on Minnesota stood in stark contrast to his public statements just a few months prior, and his insistence on the Astros severely hampered the Twins' ability to drum up any sort of bidding war. In the end, the deal was essentially a salary dump — one that may have cost the team double, considering the role Correa played in convincing other controllable players, like reliever Griffin Jax, that they also wanted no part of the next era of Minnesota baseball.
It was a fittingly controversial pivot for a player, and a franchise, who've become more than accustomed to it over the last decade or so. It also thrusts Correa back into the spotlight in a way he hasn't been since he left Houston in the first place. And after getting his feet wet in Miami this week, he's about to get a crash course on how much most fans still remember from the Astros' sign-stealing scandal all those years ago.
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Carlos Correa's return to Yankee Stadium with the Astros could get very ugly
No one ever said the baseball gods were without a sense of humor. Exactly a week after returning to Houston at last Thursday's deadline, the schedule has conspired to send Correa and the Astros ... to the Bronx, for a huge weekend series against the New York Yankees. Because of course it has.
Granted, Yankees fans have hounded Correa no matter what team he plays for; they booed his every at-bat even when he was a Twin, refusing to forgive or forget his reported role in the sign-stealing scandal that may or may not have cost New York a trip to the World Series back in 2017. But Correa back in an Astros uniform just has that old feel to it, like Darth Vader popping back up on screen — and the stakes this weekend are high enough that Yankees fans should be plenty motivated to get on Correa's case like never before.
New York was able to finally snap a five-game losing skid and salvage the final game of their set against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, maintaining a perilous 1.5-game lead in the race for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. But this team is taking on water, and they need to start stacking wins desperately, especially against one of the most difficult opponents still remaining on their schedule. Houston, meanwhile, is trying to hold off the hard-charging Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the AL West, a division that has suddenly become among the most treacherous in baseball.
Two teams that didn't have a ton of love for each other to begin with, a principal player in their rivalry returning and massive playoff implications on the line? Where do we sign?