Carlos Correa is headed back to Houston.
The Twins dealt the star shortstop to the Astros ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Correa, who waived his no-trade clause, is expected to play third base with Isaac Paredes injured, Heyman reported.
The Astros are sending one prospect to the Twins and Minnesota is paying down some of Correa’s contract, per The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.
Correa spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Astros, winning the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year award and the 2017 World Series with the franchise before signing with Minnesota in free agency before the 2022 season.
He re-upped with the Twins in 2023 after deals with the Giants and Mets fell through that offseason.
The three-time All-Star is in the midst of a down year offensively, hitting .267/.319/.386 with seven home runs in 364 plate appearances.
The 30-year-old was one of the top shortstops in baseball during his first stint in Houston, .277/.356/.481 with 133 long balls across seven seasons.
He received MVP votes in three different seasons and won the 2015 Gold Glove at shortstop in 2021.
Correa told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that “he’s happy to come home” and that the Twins weren’t “going in the direction he wanted.”
“I let them know there was only one team I would allow [the trade] to happen,” Correa said, according to McTaggart.
Correa is in the third year of a six-year, $200 million contract that includes vesting options for each of the 2029-32 seasons.
The Astros are currently 62-47 and five games up on the Mariners and Rangers in the American League West.
The Twins are apparently heading the other way, sitting at 51-57, which is good for fourth-place in the AL Central.
