Astros may have won MLB trade deadline by making this one move

Correa slid into the position previously held by Isaac Paredes, who had played the hot corner into a strength for the Astros this season before being sidelined by a hamstring injury on July 19. Heading into Sunday, with Paredes taking more than 76% of the plate appearances at third base, Houston had a combined 1.4 Wins Above Average at the position, ranking seventh among MLB's 30 teams.

The Astros will need Correa to stay red-hot to hold off a Mariners team that also added its own offensive juggernauts at the trade deadline, bringing in Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Those moves have given Seattle "the best lineup we've had since I've been here," Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently said.

Going 8-2 over their last 10 games (including six straight wins) heading into Sunday's action, the Mariners were just a half-game behind Houston in the division. Seattle was also tied with the Boston Red Sox for the top AL wild-card spot.

Despite the small lead for the Astros in the AL West, FanGraphs has them with a better percentage to win the division as of Sunday. According to the site, Houston has a 49.8% chance to win the AL West, while Seattle holds a 47.5% chance.

It's a slim margin, and it's one that could arguably be connected to Houston's reunion with Correa. If the three-time All-Star can be the difference-maker between a division title with a potential bye and a wild-card berth, Houston's decision to bring back Correa could well be the move of the 2025 trade deadline.