Astros GM Dana Brown brings Carlos Correa home

HOUSTON – Astros general manager Dana Brown has plugged more holes than any other GM in the majors this year, so he had a right to be ecstatic after landing former All-Star Carlos Correa, outfielder Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias at the trade deadline. 

The Astros have lost a cadre or superstars for long periods this season. And that doesn’t include Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker and Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, the All-Stars Brown either had to trade or let go via free agency over the winter. 

The Astros lead the AL West by five games. They also lead the majors in superstars injured this season, beginning with the team’s best hitter, Yordan Alvarez, and then a pair of 2025 All-Stars in Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes.  

Reinforcements are on the way, beginning with Correa, the charismatic, outspoken 2015 American League Rookie of the Year who helped start the greatest run of success in franchise history.

Correa, who has played short all of his career, has accepted a move to third base. If history is an indication, Correa will give the Astros a boost on the field and a healthy dose of swagger and leadership in the clubhouse.

Astros hit re-set button 

“It’s a big energy boost for us right now, particularly coming off a few losses during our homestand,” Brown said of acquiring the 2017 World Series champion. “We got those last two games, which we felt pretty good about. But now you get the trade deadline. 

“With the day off you get to hit the reset and you have Correa coming back to the city. You have him stepping into that locker room, a lot of familiar faces, close-knit guys like family members. He brings energy every day to the ballpark. So this is a pretty big move for the team, for the city, for where we’re going in the future.”

It’s an understatement to say the Astros have had a “few losses” recently. They are 7-12 over their previous 19 games, struggling mightily without Peña and Paredes. 

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Paredes suffered a severe hamstring injury on July 19 in Seattle. He is one of 17 Astros on the injured list. He led the team in home runs (19) and RBIs (50) before he landed on the IL. Peña and Paredes have been the Astros’ top two position players this season. 

Peña has been out since suffering a rib fracture when he was hit by a pitch on June 27. Despite missing more than a month, Peña is second on the Astros with 4.4 wins above replacement. Ace lefty Framber Valdez leads the Astros with a 4.6 WAR.

Correa mentored Peña before signing with the Twins in the spring of 2022. The protege helped the Astros win the 2022 championship while earning the World Series MVP Award and a Gold Glove that season.

With Peña set to return from the IL, Correa will start at third.

Carlos Correa brings leadership

“And we feel like we added this guy, and (Correa is) just going to bring a lot, not only as a player, but as a human being and his leadership skills and the energy that he’s going to bring to this club,” Brown said. “I’m fired up because I’ve only known him as an opponent. 

“I remember when I was with the Braves and we played against (the Astros in the World Series). I’m just dying to meet this guy. I’ve heard so many great things about him. And I’ve seen his actions on the field. He brings it every day.” 

The Twins are reportedly picking up $30 million of what’s remaining of Correa’s contract. The Astros sent minor-league left-hander Matt Mikulski to complete the trade for Correa. The Astros sent right-hander Ryan Gusto, minor league infielder Chase Jaworsky and minor league outfielder Esmil Valencia to the Marlins for Sanchez. 

Earlier in the day, the Astros sent Class A Fayetteville right-hander Twine Palmer to the Orioles for Urias, a former Gold Glove winner.

Brown checked on the pitching market. He found the price to steep. The Astros are hopeful that Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia come off the IL to fortify the rotation over the next few weeks.

Pitching reinforcements on the way

“We got Arrighetti coming up next week,” Brown said. “We have Javier right behind him. We have Garcia right behind Javier, so those are three starters right there. Given the first two, those guys are going to be here pretty quickly. 

“We feel like the reinforcement of the starters that are coming off the IL allowed us to even focus a little bit more on getting some bats for this team so we could score some runs. Pitching has been a big strength of ours, particularly in the first half. And so adding these bats was probably a lot more important.”