The Houston Astros had quite a busy trade deadline last week, which all culminated with the return of a former franchise cornerstone.
Infielder Carlos Correa, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Astros from 2015-2021, returned to the Astros in a deal with the Minnesota Twins on July 31.
The former franchise shortstop won’t be returning to that position this time around, not with Jeremy Pena holding the fort. Correa is playing third base in his second stint with the Astros in light of Isaac Paredes’ significant hamstring injury.
Correa is experiencing a down season at the plate, hitting .266 with eight home runs, 33 RBI’s and a .704 OPS. However, some believe that Correa — and Astros fans — may come back to life upon this reunion.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden called Correa’s trade the “Best Reunion” in a recent piece detailing the trade deadline.
“Carlos Correa, who headed back to Houston in an emotional return trade that has fired up Astros fans,” Bowden wrote. “They remember Correa’s contributions over the years, including with the 2017 World Series team, as he kept pointing to his wrist yelling it’s his time as he rounded the bases on his clutch home runs in the postseason.”
Correa’s second trip to Houston won’t be without reason. At 63-50, holding a three-game lead in the AL West, the Astros are firmly in position to compete for a World Series title. Correa was a key component of the team’s 2017 championship winning squad, and could now become a major factor once again eight years later.
