WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve officially learned he would have a new double-play partner during a late-night phone call with the Carlos Correa himself. Twins.READ MORE: Even after the successful agreement with Carlos Correa, there are still tickets available for the opening day of the Twins“I was surprised. I didn’t expect that,” Altuve said Sunday. “Obviously we will miss him. He is a great player and a great guy in the clubhouse. He was one of our leaders.” Correa agreed to a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins on Friday night. The shortstop had been the most coveted free agent left on the market. Altuve, a seven-time All-Star and 2017 AL MVP, and Correa, a two-time All-Star, were mainstays in the middle of Houston’s defense and top of the order since 2015. The duo helped carry led the Astros to their only World Series title in 2017 and trips back to the Series in 2019 and 2021. A career .277 hitter with 133 home runs, Correa hit .279 with 26 home runs. and 92 RBI last season and also won his first Gold Glove. “Now that he’s on another team, I’m happy for him,” Altuve said. “He got a great offer. happy for him I know he is going to play well. He will make the Twins better.” Altuve, 31, said he and Correa, 27, have vowed to stay close through frequent phone calls and video conferences. “We had dinner many times,” Altuve said. “We spend a lot of time together in rooms talking about different things. That’s what I’m going to miss the most.” A few days before Correa’s decision, Houston manager Dusty Baker pegged Jeremy Pena as the favorite for the opening day start. Widely regarded as one of the Astros’ top prospects, Peña is a .291 career hitter in the minors. He hit .287 with 10 home runs in 30 games at Triple-A Sugar Land last season. Peña, 24, the son of former major leaguer Geronimo Peña, has a locker in the Astros clubhouse alongside Altuve. READ MORE: Twins Sign Reliever Joe Smith on bullpen depth “I’m happy for Jeremy that he can to have the opportunity to come and play in the Major Leagues and establish himself as an everyday player,” Altuve said. While Baker would have liked to have Correa in the lineup, his signing lifted some of the fog that had hung over Houston’s camp this spring. “No one likes to be in an uncertain situation,” Baker said. “Everyone likes clarity.” However, some habits are hard to break. Players arriving at the clubhouse Sunday morning before the Astros-Washington exhibition game saw a familiar name written in the cleanup spot on the day’s lineup card: Correa. Baker’s decision to keep his major league position players out of the first few games this spring allowed him to start the Carlos, JC annoyance at designated hitter against the Nationals. Class A Ashville. Now that he’s learning to play catcher, JC enjoyed one six-hit game and two four-hit games last season, his first as a minor leaguer. “That’s a lot of hitting,” Baker said. Baker pulled out the lineup card for the pregame exchange with his father, Dusty. Darren and Dusty hugged each other over home plate and then posed together and with the umpires for photos. Darren later entered the game playing second base. published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed).