Just two years after signing a $200 million contract to stay in Minnesota, three-time All-Star shortstop is reportedly being discussed in trade talks.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo and him have been floated in trade scenarios, though both possess no-trade clauses. Correa, who is still owed $128 million over the final four years of his deal with the Twins, could be on the move despite his recent All-Star selection.
While Seattle’s need for offensive firepower makes Castillo an understandable trade candidate given their pitching depth, Minnesota’s reasons for considering a trade are less obvious.
The Twins were slightly above average offensively in 2024 by OPS+, with Correa as their top performer when healthy. Despite missing time due to an oblique strain and plantar fasciitis, he slashed .310/.388/.517 in 86 games. Over his 10-year career with the Astros and Twins, the 30-year-old boasts a .275/.354/.517 line, including a .804 OPS (124 OPS+) in his three seasons with Minnesota.
Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, dismissed speculation that his client is unhappy in Minnesota, saying, “The last time I talked to him, he told me the fishing was good. So, yeah, he’s happy there.”
The Twins’ motivations may be financial. Correa’s $36 million salary in 2025 will be the highest single-season salary in franchise history, surpassing the $35.1 million they paid him in 2022. Before Correa, the highest salary paid by the team was Joe Mauer’s $23 million per year from 2011–18. However, the Twins were well aware of the financial commitment when they signed Correa to a six-year deal in January 2023, following one of the most tumultuous free-agent sagas in recent memory.
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