Astros Have One Less Suitor for Isaac Paredes

There is now one less suitor for Houston's infielder.

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

For a good part of the offseason, there were rumors surrounding the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros for a potential trade for infielder Isaac Paredes. There were times when it felt like a deal was going to get done, then there were times when it felt like the sides were far apart.

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As it turns out, neither side gave in and the result was Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pivoting in another direction to fill his need for another infielder. Boston acquired Milwaukee Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin for a package that included infielder David Hamilton and pitcher Kyle Harrison. In dealing Harrison, that leaves one minor leaguer as part of the Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants last season.

Red Sox Are One Less Trade Partner With Astros for Isaac Paredes

Isaac Paredes | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

It has been widely reported that Breslow is not someone who a ton of teams enjoy dealing with when it comes to behind-the-scenes talks in trades, but he was able to pivot away from Paredes and the Astros to acquire a young infielder. That leaves Houston and general manager Dana Brown one less suitor to complete a deal with for Paredes, if he chooses to do so.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) over the weekend, the Red Sox and Astros were being linked in a potential trade, but that is unlikely.

"Boston remains one of at least five teams engaged with the Astros about Paredes, according to multiple league sources. Another is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who need an upgrade at third base and tried unsuccessfully to sign free agent Eugenio Suárez before his agreement with the Cincinnati Reds,'' wrote Rome.

Boston trading with Milwaukee for Durbin leaves one less suitor for Houston with Paredes. Now, it is still possible that Christian Walker is someone who could be traded instead of Paredes, but Rome wrote that it was likely that Paredes would go first.

Who is left as a suitor for Paredes? That remains to be seen.

Rome also reported that Brown preferred a cost-controlled outfielder and if there is a team with outfielders to trade, it's Boston. However, Breslow was not willing to trade Wilyer Abreu, according to Rome, but would have liked to have moved Jarren Duran. As it turns out, talks fizzled.

It is more likely than not that Paredes begins spring training with Houston this week, but a deal could always come up quickly and out of nowhere. If that does happen, it won't be with the Red Sox, who pivoted on Monday morning to the Brewers and Durbin.

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