Carlos Correa’s departure from Houston is now official, signs three-year deal with Twins

If it wasn’t already, Carlos Correa’s Astros tenure is now officially a thing of the past. Despite recent reports indicating that a reunion was possible — if not likely — Correa will instead take his considerable talent up north and significantly boost an improving Twins squad.

To no one’s surprise, Fox 26’s Mark Berman broke the news:

The terms of the deal are rather shocking, given that Correa’s prior asking price was reportedly upward of $300 million. While it was also reported that he was not seeking as large of a contract post-lockout, the fact that a 3-year deal worth $105.3 million secured his services is far and away the biggest surprise of the offseason.

Even though there are two opt-outs included, it’s an incredibly team-friendly contract for the Twins, who have added an elite shortstop in his prime without taking on any long-term risks — namely durability issues, in Correa’s case.

The Astros’ only confirmed offer of 5 years, $160 million was made in November. Details are yet to be unveiled regarding their purported “new offer” they were due to extend the former No. 1 overall pick this past week.

It’s not yet definitively known that Jim Crane did not match the Twins’ offer, but it’d be fairly safe to assume that he opted not to. It seems the Astros’ renewed pursuit of Correa was not terribly genuine, considering a bargain of a contract is what got him to sign with Minnesota.

Correa marks the third superstar the Astros have lost in free agency in as many years, with Gerrit Cole leaving after 2019 and George Springer departing following the shortened 2020 season.

Josh Reddick’s 4-year, $52 million deal in November 2016 remains the longest free-agent contract of significance the Astros have given out under Crane’s ownership, which began in 2011 when he purchased the club for $680 million. It’s now worth $1.87 billion, according to Forbes.