Luis Garcia agrees to one-year deal with Astros, avoiding arbitration
ASTROS NEWS
08 January
A healthy Garcia could make a big difference. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
Right-hander Luis Garcia and the Houston Astros avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year contract for $1,875,000, matching the salary he earned last year when he didn't pitch in the major leagues as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
The 28-year-old Garcia had surgery on May 19, 2023, and made a pair of minor league appearances last year, on June 28 and July 4, but was slow to bounce back.
Garcia is 28-19 with a 3.61 ERA in 63 starts and six relief appearances from 2020-23. He pitched for Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Seven Astros remained set to exchange proposed arbitration salaries with the team Thursday: right-hander Bryan Abreu, left-hander Framber Valdez, shortstop Jeremy Peña, third baseman Isaac Paredes and outfielders Mauricio Dubón, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers.
Rumors have been swirling in recent days about the possible reunion between the Astros and Carlos Correa. Correa made the trade sound like an unlikely possibility on Wednesday, but now, it appears it's happening.
According multiple sources, including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the Astros are trading for Correa.
Source: The Astros are have agreed to a deal to reacquire Carlos Correa in a trade with the Twins.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 31, 2025
With third baseman Isaac Paredes likely unavailable until next season, this move makes a lot of sense for a team trying to win a World Series this season.
Correa has already agreed to play third base, with Jeremy Pena remaining at shortstop. Carlos is guaranteed $96 million through the next three seasons.
Correa is slashing .267/.319/.386 this season, not exactly the numbers we expect from Correa. But he was terrific in 2024, so hopefully a change of scenery sparks more production.
However, a deeper look at the numbers shows Correa has been much better as of late. He's slashing .308/.373/.421 with 2 homers and 9 RBIs over his last 30 games.
What did the Astros give up?
Details of the trade are finally being released. The Twins are paying $33 million of Correa's remaining $103.42 million contract.
The Minnesota Twins are paying a whopping $33 million of Carlos Correa's remaining $103.42 contract.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2025
The Twins will receive LHP prospect Matt Mikulski, per Bob Nightengale.
