MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 The meeting took place on Wednesday, a day before baseball\u2019s trade deadline, in a private room adjacent to the home clubhouse at Target Field. For an era of Minnesota Twins baseball that held so much promise, it was the beginning of the end.<\/p>\n
Carlos Correa, the Twins\u2019 $200 million shortstop, had questions for Derek Falvey, the team\u2019s president of baseball operations. Would the Twins be sellers at the trade deadline? What direction would the team take in the future?<\/p>\n
Correa, 30, and Falvey, 42, built a mutual trust when Correa first signed with the Twins as a free agent in March 2022, then opted out less than a year later and re-signed for a deal nearly twice as large. They shared a goal of bringing Minnesota its first World Series title in more than three decades. But as they spoke in that private room \u2014 the start of nearly two days of tumult that would unravel years of hard work \u2014 it was clear that their vision was coming apart.<\/p>\n
The Twins, a team full of dynamic, even electric players, began the season with the highest playoff odds of any team in the AL Central. But the Pohlad family\u2019s ongoing negotiations to sell the franchise have created an uncomfortable air of uncertainty. Even after the team exercised his option for 2026, manager Rocco Baldelli faces questions about his job security. The Twins approached the deadline in fourth place, six games under .500, 12 games out in the division, a fragile mess.<\/p>\n
After Correa\u2019s meeting with Falvey, the Twins played a game in which they seemed to burst from the tension surrounding them. In their 13-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, they confused utilityman Willi Castro with a botched attempt at a late-game send-off and angered setup man Griffin Jax so much that he was caught on camera ranting in the dugout. They then traded their closer, Jhoan Duran, to the Philadelphia Phillies.<\/p>\n
It was merely a prelude to an even more consequential day on Thursday, which Falvey began intending to fulfill ownership\u2019s request of making the best possible trades for the organization\u2019s long-term benefit. Once he started, to the shock of fans, his players, and his industry colleagues, he did not stop.<\/p>\n
By the time the deadline passed at 6 p.m. ET, the Twins had moved 10 of their 26 players, nearly 40 percent of their major-league roster. All but two of their trades came on deadline day. And while Falvey kept part of the team\u2019s core intact and added a number of talented young players with major-league experience, he was true to the plans he shared with Correa, describing the path forward in blunt terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe direction we are going,\u201d Correa recalled Falvey telling him the previous day, \u201cis not the one you signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n
By then, news had already surfaced of the Houston Astros\u2019 interest in bringing back Correa, the player they drafted No. 1 in 2012. Correa at the time was \u201cchilling\u201d at his home in St. Paul, playing baseball outside with his sons, Kylo, 3, and Kenzo, 2. His wife, Daniella, was the first to inform him of the reports.<\/p>\n
Once Correa got to Target Field, he sought out Falvey, who confirmed that the Astros had indeed called about a potential trade. The initial discussions, according to a source briefed on the conversations, were not serious. The Astros wanted other major leaguers attached to Correa and for the Twins to pay a sizable amount of his remaining $103 million.<\/p>\n
Falvey told Correa he would update him if the deal became more feasible from the Twins\u2019 perspective. Correa told Falvey the Astros were the only team for which he would waive his no-trade clause. His family lives in Houston. Both his parents and Daniella\u2019s parents live in Houston. He would be going home.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarlos was never sitting there saying anything about demanding a trade or wanting to do something else,\u201d Falvey said. \u201cIf it was right for the Twins and it was right for him, he was open to the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Especially open once Falvey explained what lay ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he told (me) that we were going to go into rebuild mode, I said then I deserve to go somewhere where I have a chance to win and my kids can watch me go out there in the playoffs and perform,\u201d Correa said. \u201cHe agreed with me and he said out of respect for me he would get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falvey got to work, all right. And when deadline day was complete, Correa\u2019s agent, Scott Boras, referenced the nickname of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to describe the Twins\u2019 maneuvers to slash payroll.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently the Big Dumper has a Twin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nine days before the deadline, the Twins knew they would move their players on expiring contracts, as most teams do when they are out of contention. Club officials were less certain about how they would proceed with players under additional club control. The list included Jax, Duran and right-handed ace Joe Ryan, each of whom the team could retain through 2027.<\/p>\n
One line of thought was to keep the team relatively intact until after the Pohlad family sold the team. New owners typically demonstrate their enthusiasm by boosting payroll. By adding to their existing group, the Twins could have landed in a stronger competitive position.<\/p>\n
That is not the direction the Pohlads chose, another reason why, for many fans, the sale of the team cannot come soon enough.<\/p>\n
After the Twins won the AL Central in 2023, the Pohlad family cut the Opening Day payroll in 2024 by nearly 20 percent. By season\u2019s end, word emerged that the family was exploring a sale. The news ushered in a period of uncertainty. The effect on the team\u2019s employees, down to the players, has been palpable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sale process,\u201d Falvey said, \u201ccontinues to be an ongoing reality for our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
In February, billionaire Justin Ishbia spurned the Twins to increase his minority stake in the Chicago White Sox. A month later, The Athletic reported the Pohlad family was seeking $1.7 billion for the franchise<\/a> and carrying $425 million of debt, one of the highest figures among the league\u2019s 30 teams. Though payroll increased ahead of the 2025 season, it still has not come up to its previous heights. The Twins\u2019 only offseason additions were free-agent left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe, outfielder Harrison Bader and first baseman Ty France. By the deadline, they\u2019d all be traded.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1387350811-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n