July 31: Nightengale that the talks between the two clubs are all but dead, adding that Houston asked Minnesota to pay about $50MM of the $102.5MM remaining in Correas contract and also asked for an outfielder to be included in the deal. Nightengale adds that the Twins rejected that offer and arent budging from that position. Rome (alongside The Athletics Ken Rosenthal) that talks between the sides have continued despite both sides downplaying the likelihood of a trade. July 30, 12:37pm: The Astros approached the Twins about the po sibility, . Astros owner Jim Crane has remained a fan of Correa since his departure, they note, adding that the Twins believe Houston is perhaps the only destination to which Correa would green-light a trade. Nightengale that Correa indeed would be open to returning to Houston and playing third base there. That said, Hayes and Rome echo Pa san in writing that the two sides are far apart and a deal is not at all close. 12:07pm: The Twins and Astros have indeed talked about the po sibility of a Correa trade but arent close to an agreement, . 9:52am: As the Astros seek help in the infield following injuries to and , theyve looked into the po sibility of bringing back to Houston, . that the two parties have had discu sions on the po sibility. MLB.coms Brian McTaggart that Houstons interest is real. Nightengale adds that Houston remains interested in as well and has at least weighed the po sibility of another run at . The Correa scenario presents a fascinating, if unexpected wrinkle to this summers deadline market. In the offseason, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey the po sibility of trading his shortstop, and Correa himself voiced an affinity for Minnesota when asked about his no-trade clause at the time. Its fair to wonder whether either partys stance has changed. The Twins have struggled through a sub-.500 four months of baseball and have minimal hope of reaching the postseason. The Mike Krukow Jersey Pohlad family is exploring a sale of the team, and while that was true over the winter as well, the former front-runner to purchase the Twins, Justin Ishbia, has since instead reached a long-term agreement to become the majority stakeholder in the White Sox (where he was already a minority owner). On Correas end of things, returning to his original organization and jumping back into a playoff race would presumably be appealing. Correa is still owed significant money. He signed a six-year, $200MM deal with four vesting options prior to the 2023 season. Hell make a combined $92MM from 2026-28 and also still has about $11.6MM of this years salary yet to be paid out. The Twins would almost certainly have to pay down a portion of the contract to make a deal work. Even if Minnesota did so, however, adding Correa back to the roster in Houston would send the Astros soaring past the luxury tax threshold. Theyre currently about $4.5MM shy of that barrier, . Owner Jim Crane was steadfastly against exceeding the tax threshold in the offseason at least in most scenarios. His lone exception, it seemed, would have been for a reunion with . Whether Crane is feeling more urgency due to Houstons litany of injuries or simply harbors some sentimentality for another former Astros star, one has to imagine hes grown more comfortable cro sing the tax threshold. That Correa is in the midst of a sub-par season only further muddies the water. The 30-year-old hit brilliantly for the Twins last year in an injury-shortened campaign, batting .310/.388/.517 with his typical brand of strong defense at shortstop. Hes rebounded from a poor start in 2025 to an extent, but Correas .267/.319/.386 slash is slightly under league average (97 wRC+). Over his past 274 plate appearances, Correa is hitting .300 with a .350 on-base percentage but just a .423 slugging percentage. His power is down substantially this season, in part because his ground-ball rate has spiked to a 48.5% its highest level in five years. A renewed run at Arenado would register as something of a surprise. Arenado invoked his no-trade clause to nix a trade to Houston over the winter. Now that the Astros are in first place, hed likely be more open to a move there. However, hes in the midst of a third straight down year at the plate and is still owed substantial money. Arenado, 34, is hitting a career-worst .235/.295/.367 in 390 plate appearances. By measure of wRC+, hes been 16% worse than average at the plate. He remains a strong defensive third baseman but no longer draws top-of-the-scale grades from defensive metrics. Hes earning $32MM this year, $27MM next year and $15MM in 2027. Its a steep price to pay for a former All-Star whose bat is has been on the downswing for several years now. The Cardinals would need to eat a major portion of the contract, but theres still enough left on the deal that Arenado, too, would surely put Houston over the luxury threshold. Surez, owed $4.8MM for the remainder of the season, might not quite put the Astros over that edge, though the Diamondbacks could always include some cash to coax a more favorable return. The bidding on the 34-year-old slugger will be fierce, however, and Houstons farm system is not as well regarded as some of the other teams wholl be vying for Surez and his 36 home runs. The Mariners, Cubs, Tigers, Phillies and Reds are among the teams also pursuing him. Paredes could mi s the remainder of the season Nightengale notes that surgery is a consideration but hes controlled for an additional two years. Pena is on the mend from fractured ribs but is also controlled through 2027. Given the Astros multiple years of control over the left side of their infield, Surez represents a cleaner fit than either Correa or Arenado. Paredes could slide over to second base in subsequent seasons if the Astros wind up with a new infielder whos signed beyond the current season, but hes played the vast majority of his career at third base. Correas name hasnt come up until this point, but the Twins are expected to be active sellers over the next two days. Righty was already moved to the Tigers, and rental players like , and are all expected to change hands as well. The more interesting element is whether the Twins will cave and trade anyone controlled longer-term. Relievers and have been two of the most sought-after names on the bullpen market, and any contending team would love to add righty to its rotation. All three are controlled through 2027, however. Add in the new po sibility of a Correa deal, and theres plenty for the Minnesota front office to do over the next day and a half. Tyler Fitzgerald Jersey