Less than halfway through his six-year, $200 million contract — amid an epic sell-off at the trade deadline on Thursday — the Twins dealt Correa, one of the leaders in their clubhouse, back to the Houston Astros, where he began his career, the biggest move on a dark day for the organization.

The Minnesota Twins' decision to trade Carlos Correa may have inadvertently set the wheels in motion on another major deal the team made last Thursday.

Correa will waive his no-trade clause and the Twins are sending the Astros $30 million of the $96 million guaranteed to Correa over the next three seasons. The Twins will get a prospect in return, left-handed pitcher Matt Mikulski.