July 31, 2025 • 7 mins
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart joins Wex and AC to talk all things Carlos Correra following the reunion that will send the three-time All-Star back to Houston.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
All right, we don't want to waste any time. Let's
get him in here. Brian McTaggart of MLB dot Com
sort of a busy day for you, sir. I would
imagine Carlos Korea, among others, coming back to Houston. It's
fascinating for so many different reasons. But you have actually
spoken to Korea, and he is I'd say it's safe
to say he's very excited to come back home.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, talked to him about thirty minutes ago. Yeah, super excited. Basically,
he said he had talked to the Twins about the
direction of the team.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Obviously they're having a fire sale.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He didn't want to be a part of that, and
so he said that they would agree to be traded.
He said the only place that he wanted to be
traded to was the Astros, and that sort of got
it going. They have to work out the money, a
bunch of money coming back to the Astros, of course,
and it's done. He's coming back, he says, he's He's
talked to some of his teammates already. He's gonna go
(00:58):
to Minnesota today to help his wife pack, and hop
on a plane tomorrow to Boston and he'll join the
Astros in Boston and play third base, which he says
at this point in his career is a great move
for him. He did that in the World Baseball Classic,
and he said in Minnesota they had been talking about
moving to third but they never really got a shortstop,
so he kept playing shortstop.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
But he said, the goals come home and win championships.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And I think it's interesting that this trade doesn't get
made if Alex Bregman isn't playing short third base in
Boston tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I'm sorry, say it again.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I said this, This deal doesn't get made if Alex
Bregman isn't playing third base for the Red Sox tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, true, yeah, true.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Uh, you know, Bregman resigned, It resigns, and yeah, it's
out of the question. It's it's gonna be weird having Korea,
Bregman and al Tuo bay back in all in the
all in the same ballpark. Didn't think I would see
that again, but uh, uh, you know, I think it's
the kind of deal that that Korea could be energized
by this. And he's jumping into the middle of a
pennant race. Now the Mariners and Rangers are both making
(02:05):
trades to get a lot better.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
This is going to be a really fun couple of months.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
What are real expectations for the Astros moving forward? Considering
the financial commitment they've now made, it's almost as if
this is their team maybe for the more than just
short term future.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, I mean, I'll have to dig into that a
little more. You know, Korea is here for a couple
more years. Yeah, I mean, I think that's a good
question going forward. I don't have, you know, a solid answer,
because I haven't really thought a whole lot about it yet,
but you know that, you know, Jim Crane's going to
always make the moves to try to win now and
then worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
What are your kind of just two months? You got
two months plus playoffs with Carlos Korea. Looking at what
he did last year, albeit hurt, looking at what he's
done so far this year, what do you think of
realistic offensive expectations for Carlos Korea?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, I mean, if he can approach what he did
last year, you know it hit better than he did
this year, than.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
I think the Astros will take that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I mean, you know, there's still a chance they could,
you know, acquire another player, but they got Hayesius Sanchez,
It's gonna come in. They got Urias yesterday, They're gonna
get Panya back probably tomorrow. So this lineup is gonna
be a lot better with Carlos Korea and those guys
in it. And uh, you know, you know, fifty three
(03:25):
games Proofully in the pudding. You know how well he plays,
how well he swings the bat. But it's going to
energize this team and give them a jolt, and that's
what they need.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
One other thing, because we keep talking about the departures
of leadership Korea previously, Bregman wore recently, the team kept winning.
The team seemingly has a fantastic clubhouse and a culture
of winning, and all the newcomers have said exactly that,
and they keep winning. Do you think there was an
element of the of what Carlos springs off the field,
inside the clubhouse on the field, even with how he
(03:53):
leads this team. Do you think any of that was missing?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I don't think it was. I don't think it was
missing it. I mean it probably went down when Carlos left.
I mean, you couldn't understate what what he meant to
that team leadership wise, and then we all saw the
mound visit in twenty twenty with Valdez and he became
the face of the sign stealing scandaled defending all his teammates,
all the visits to the pitcher's mound, the stuff he
would say in the media. You know, he always struck
(04:20):
the right tone when times were bad. I don't think
Altude was ever comfortable or ever will be comfortable.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And that role sort of.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
As a spokesman for the team Korea Core is and
you know, now he's thirty one years old and uh,
you know, back to where it started. And I think
he's definitely going to assume a lot of leadership on
this team, not only on the field but in the clubhouse,
just like.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
He did before.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Speaking of assumptions, are we to assume that because Ryan
Gusto is out in one of these deals, that the
starting pitcher, whether it's rental or long term, is a formality,
like the Astros are going to have to get another
starter before five o'clock.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I wouldn't say so formality. I mean there's trying they're
trying on Dylan Cease, which has been reported.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I mean he was. I think.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I think they were close last night, so you know,
they got to they have some pitching depth once they
get healthy. So even if they don't get cease, I
think that uh, you know, they still have the chance
to have some pitching depth towards the end of the
year and going in the next year. But they're working
really hard to add a picture they can line up
behind Valdez and uh Hunter Brown and give them a
(05:26):
you know, a solid one two three going into the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I know Ac kind of asked you about this earlier,
but I think the fans want to hear more of it.
The genuine excitement in your exchange with Carlos care about
becoming an astro again, did it Did it seem fairly
tangible and obvious.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, I mean I uh I called him as I
was hopping on a shuttle bus and he said he
was hopping on an elevator and I said, well, let's
let's touch pace in ten minutes, and he called me back,
and uh, yeah, I mean he seemed he seemed pretty excited,
especially the part where he said that once realized it
wasn't gonna you know, work out of Minnesota, that he
said there was only one place that I would go,
(06:05):
and that was you know, he had he had a
no trade class, so he had to approve the trade
to Houston, and then it was up to the front
offices and agents and everybody to work out the money.
But the fact that all his teammates are calling him,
calling him, and he did use the word excited and
to get to Boston tomorrow and see everybody, and uh,
I think he's pretty I think he hit pretty well
in Boston during his astro's career. So maybe he'll pop
(06:27):
some over the Green Monster tomorrow and get this thick going.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Who's more excited in the Korea family, Carlos or Danielle
about coming back to Houston.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, I think it's probably Korea's parents who live in Houston,
so they're going to get a chance to see the
grandkids a lot more. In Crave even talked about that
a little bit too, which you know when you were
when you have kids, you got to put them first
on a lot of these decisions. And the chance to
come back to where his parents live and the grandkids
can hang out with the grandparents, that's going to be
cherry on top for Korea.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
It's a wild day We know you're busy. We're gonna
let you get back to it. We really appreciate you
taking the time out. Brian McTaggart, MLB dot Com. Enjoy
the rest of the deadline day, Brian.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Okay, we're getting close. Talkulater, all right.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Brian McTaggart here on Sports Talk seven ninety
Speaker 3 (07:10):
The a T on Sports Talk seven ninety
All right, we don't want to waste any time. Let's
get him in here. Brian McTaggart of MLB dot Com
sort of a busy day for you, sir. I would
imagine Carlos Korea, among others, coming back to Houston. It's
fascinating for so many different reasons. But you have actually
spoken to Korea, and he is I'd say it's safe
to say he's very excited to come back home.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, talked to him about thirty minutes ago. Yeah, super excited. Basically,
he said he had talked to the Twins about the
direction of the team.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Obviously they're having a fire sale.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He didn't want to be a part of that, and
so he said that they would agree to be traded.
He said the only place that he wanted to be
traded to was the Astros, and that sort of got
it going. They have to work out the money, a
bunch of money coming back to the Astros, of course,
and it's done. He's coming back, he says, he's He's
talked to some of his teammates already. He's gonna go
(00:58):
to Minnesota today to help his wife pack, and hop
on a plane tomorrow to Boston and he'll join the
Astros in Boston and play third base, which he says
at this point in his career is a great move
for him. He did that in the World Baseball Classic,
and he said in Minnesota they had been talking about
moving to third but they never really got a shortstop,
so he kept playing shortstop.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
But he said, the goals come home and win championships.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And I think it's interesting that this trade doesn't get
made if Alex Bregman isn't playing short third base in
Boston tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I'm sorry, say it again.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I said this, This deal doesn't get made if Alex
Bregman isn't playing third base for the Red Sox tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, true, yeah, true.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Uh, you know, Bregman resigned, It resigns, and yeah, it's
out of the question. It's it's gonna be weird having Korea,
Bregman and al Tuo bay back in all in the
all in the same ballpark. Didn't think I would see
that again, but uh, uh, you know, I think it's
the kind of deal that that Korea could be energized
by this. And he's jumping into the middle of a
pennant race. Now the Mariners and Rangers are both making
(02:05):
trades to get a lot better.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
This is going to be a really fun couple of months.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
What are real expectations for the Astros moving forward? Considering
the financial commitment they've now made, it's almost as if
this is their team maybe for the more than just
short term future.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, I mean, I'll have to dig into that a
little more. You know, Korea is here for a couple
more years. Yeah, I mean, I think that's a good
question going forward. I don't have, you know, a solid answer,
because I haven't really thought a whole lot about it yet,
but you know that, you know, Jim Crane's going to
always make the moves to try to win now and
then worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
What are your kind of just two months? You got
two months plus playoffs with Carlos Korea. Looking at what
he did last year, albeit hurt, looking at what he's
done so far this year, what do you think of
realistic offensive expectations for Carlos Korea?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, I mean, if he can approach what he did
last year, you know it hit better than he did
this year, than.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
I think the Astros will take that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I mean, you know, there's still a chance they could,
you know, acquire another player, but they got Hayesius Sanchez,
It's gonna come in. They got Urias yesterday, They're gonna
get Panya back probably tomorrow. So this lineup is gonna
be a lot better with Carlos Korea and those guys
in it. And uh, you know, you know, fifty three
(03:25):
games Proofully in the pudding. You know how well he plays,
how well he swings the bat. But it's going to
energize this team and give them a jolt, and that's
what they need.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
One other thing, because we keep talking about the departures
of leadership Korea previously, Bregman wore recently, the team kept winning.
The team seemingly has a fantastic clubhouse and a culture
of winning, and all the newcomers have said exactly that,
and they keep winning. Do you think there was an
element of the of what Carlos springs off the field,
inside the clubhouse on the field, even with how he
(03:53):
leads this team. Do you think any of that was missing?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I don't think it was. I don't think it was
missing it. I mean it probably went down when Carlos left.
I mean, you couldn't understate what what he meant to
that team leadership wise, and then we all saw the
mound visit in twenty twenty with Valdez and he became
the face of the sign stealing scandaled defending all his teammates,
all the visits to the pitcher's mound, the stuff he
would say in the media. You know, he always struck
(04:20):
the right tone when times were bad. I don't think
Altude was ever comfortable or ever will be comfortable.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And that role sort of.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
As a spokesman for the team Korea Core is and
you know, now he's thirty one years old and uh,
you know, back to where it started. And I think
he's definitely going to assume a lot of leadership on
this team, not only on the field but in the clubhouse,
just like.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
He did before.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Speaking of assumptions, are we to assume that because Ryan
Gusto is out in one of these deals, that the
starting pitcher, whether it's rental or long term, is a formality,
like the Astros are going to have to get another
starter before five o'clock.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I wouldn't say so formality. I mean there's trying they're
trying on Dylan Cease, which has been reported.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I mean he was. I think.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I think they were close last night, so you know,
they got to they have some pitching depth once they
get healthy. So even if they don't get cease, I
think that uh, you know, they still have the chance
to have some pitching depth towards the end of the
year and going in the next year. But they're working
really hard to add a picture they can line up
behind Valdez and uh Hunter Brown and give them a
(05:26):
you know, a solid one two three going into the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I know Ac kind of asked you about this earlier,
but I think the fans want to hear more of it.
The genuine excitement in your exchange with Carlos care about
becoming an astro again, did it Did it seem fairly
tangible and obvious.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, I mean I uh I called him as I
was hopping on a shuttle bus and he said he
was hopping on an elevator and I said, well, let's
let's touch pace in ten minutes, and he called me back,
and uh, yeah, I mean he seemed he seemed pretty excited,
especially the part where he said that once realized it
wasn't gonna you know, work out of Minnesota, that he
said there was only one place that I would go,
(06:05):
and that was you know, he had he had a
no trade class, so he had to approve the trade
to Houston, and then it was up to the front
offices and agents and everybody to work out the money.
But the fact that all his teammates are calling him,
calling him, and he did use the word excited and
to get to Boston tomorrow and see everybody, and uh,
I think he's pretty I think he hit pretty well
in Boston during his astro's career. So maybe he'll pop
(06:27):
some over the Green Monster tomorrow and get this thick going.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Who's more excited in the Korea family, Carlos or Danielle
about coming back to Houston.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, I think it's probably Korea's parents who live in Houston,
so they're going to get a chance to see the
grandkids a lot more. In Crave even talked about that
a little bit too, which you know when you were
when you have kids, you got to put them first
on a lot of these decisions. And the chance to
come back to where his parents live and the grandkids
can hang out with the grandparents, that's going to be
cherry on top for Korea.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
It's a wild day We know you're busy. We're gonna
let you get back to it. We really appreciate you
taking the time out. Brian McTaggart, MLB dot Com. Enjoy
the rest of the deadline day, Brian.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Okay, we're getting close. Talkulater, all right.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Brian McTaggart here on Sports Talk seven ninety
Speaker 3 (07:10):
The a T on Sports Talk seven ninety
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