Correa did have a no-trade clause with Minnesota, so he approved his getting traded to Houston. The Twins are just two seasons removed from winning the AL Central in 2023, when they lost in the ALDS to the Astros. They finished fourth in the division last season and seem to be throwing the towel on this campaign, too.

All told, the Twins made nine deals this week, sending out 10 major-league players, which represented nearly 40% of their roster. Among them, star shortstop Carlos Correa waived his no-trade clause to return to the Houston Astros in the team’s most shocking move at the deadline.

The Padres were not the Twins. With his team’s playoff odds trending heavily upward in the past week, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller did what he always does: he got aggressive and found ways to get what he needed.