The Carlos Correa era with the Houston Astros officially came to an end earlier today, as he opted to sign with the Minnesota Twins on a three-year, $105.3 million deal. The agreement between both sides includes opt-outs after the first two seasons, and more so, Correa is now the highest-paid infielder in MLB today based on his $35.1 million average annual value contract.

Alex Bregman was among a multitude of Astros players who publicly noted they aspired to see Correa return to the team for the 2022 season. But now with the two-time All-Star electing to take his talents to the Twins, Bregman is just pleased to see his now-former infield counterpart receive a much-deserved payday.

“Just super happy for him,” Bregman said on Saturday. “Happy for his family. Definitely want to look to my left and have him there. It's been that way for a long time. I just wish him nothing but the best. Talked to him this morning and just told him thank you for everything.”

The Astros did at the least make a notable push to bring back Correa following his standout 2021 campaign. The team reportedly made him a five-year, $160 million offer ahead of the lockout, which would have set his average annual value at $32 million. Even as the likes of the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles were linked with the All-Star shortstop after the lockout, the Astros did not throw in the towel on their ambition to keep him in Houston.

Astros owner Jim Crane noted last week that the team was “in discussions” over the possibility of re-signing Correa. But in the end, the Astros lost an All-Star talent from their lineup for the second consecutive offseason.

In the big picture, Bregman sees that Correa earned his mega-contract deal after his keen run with the Astros.

“He deserves it,” Bregman said. “Nobody is a smarter baseball player, works harder, is a leader. Every quality that you look for in a baseball player.”

Correa is sure to receive a standing ovation from the Astros faithful when the Twins visit Houston for a three-game series in late August.