The Houston Astros traded for Carlos Correa from the Minnesota Twins, making one of the more heartwarming deals at the deadline. But, such an incredible reunion almost didn't happen, according to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan.
"Minnesota wasn't against trading Correa; it was against stupidity." Passan writes. "The deal looked dead going into the last 24 hours before the deadline. It was defibrillated when the Astros moved off the additional-player ask and upped their end of covering Correa's salary to $71 million."
Houston initially made an offer that could have had the Twins take on $50 million, $17 million more than they eventually took on at the deal's completion. They were also asking for a reliever like Griffin Jax or an outfielder in the deal, too.
But the Twins shut down such an offer, and once the Astros came back with a much lesser deal, the Twins agreed to the offer. Houston landed their new third baseman for minor league pitching prospect Matt Mikulski, and took on $70 million of Correa's $103 million deal.
MORE: Astros agree to blockbuster trade with Twins for Carlos Correa
It wasn't a cheap deal for the Astros, and while they couldn't land the extra reliever or outfielder in the deal, they were able to reunite with Correa at the deadline.
But, after the first round of negotiations, a deal didn't seem likely. There were initial reports about the interest from both sides, but on the day of the deadline, the likelihood wasn't great. As Passan mentioned, talks were "dead."
After Houston reneged on including another player from the Twins in the deal and offered to take on more money, a deal was completed. The Twins saved a lot of money, and the Astros landed a much-needed infielder after Isaac Paredes' injury.
This trade almost didn't happen, but the Astros and Twins' second round of negotiations went a lot smoother, and one of the more interesting and heartwarming deals of the trade deadline was made a few hours before the deadline passed.
MORE MLB NEWS:
- Astros trade for 27-year-old left-handed-hitting Marlins outfielder
- Padres trade Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek to Royals for a new catcher
- Tigers lost out to Mets on trade for Cardinals' Ryan Helsley
- Padres pull off blockbuster trade for Athletics' Mason Miller
- Cardinals' trade acquisition shares five-word message with fans
- Guardians to trade Cy Young starter Shane Bieber to Blue Jays