Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran part of Twins fire sale at trade deadline

The Twins were 34-27 on June 4 when they lost their No. 1 starter, Pablo López, because of a strained shoulder muscle.

Two weeks later they were below .500 and have been a losing team since.

Only All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton was hitting above expectations this season, and as a team the Twins have the eighth highest ERA (4.29) in baseball.

The team is for sale by the Pohlad family and Commissioner Rob Manfred said two weeks ago, “There will be a transaction.”

After the All-Star break, the Twins lost three consecutive series — including a pair to two last place National League teams (Colorado and Washington) — and the team’s front office decided this week to be a “seller” as today’s 5 p.m. trade deadline approached.

Team President Derek Falvey runs the team on the both the business and player personnel sides and said Sunday, “You want to build a pipeline of talent.”

It had been rumored, but the shocking deal of the day was the Twins sending shortstop Carlos Correa back to the Astros, the team with which he started his career.

It’s a stunning trade that reshapes the core of the Twins’ roster. Correa is guaranteed $104 million over this season and the next three, and it wasn’t immediately clear how much money the Twins are kicking into the deal, which was one of the sticking points in the trade negotiations, and which players the Twins will recieve in return.

Correa is rejoining the Astros, his team for the first seven seasons, and he will play third base alongside his shortstop successor Jeremy Peña.

Starting pitcher Chris Paddack was the first to go, departing Monday to division rival and American League Central-leading Detroit along with veteran minor league starter Randy Dobnak in exchange for 19-year-old catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, who is playing in a rookie league.

Closer Jhoan Duran was next. Rumors swirled at Target Field during the Twins’ 13-1 loss to the Red Sox, and an hour after the game ended, Duran was sent to Philadelphia for Class A catching prospect Eduardo Tait and rookie righthander Mick Abel.

On Thursday morning, outfielder Harrison Bader also went to Philadelphia for prospects. The Twins will acquire outfielder Hendry Mendez, a 21-year-old outfielder at Class AA, and righthander Geremy Villoria, a 16-year-old from Venezuela who is pitching in the Dominican Summer League.

Reliever Danny Coulombe, a valuable lefthander, was sent to the Texas Rangers for minor league pitcher Garrett Horn.

Willi Castro, the team’s MVP last season as a utility player, will be playing for the Chicago Cubs.