Pirates Aggressively Pursuing Astros Third Baseman
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have looked at adding a third baseman this winter and have a target they are going after with Spring Training starting soon.
The Pirates are one of a few teams that have shown "legitimate and aggressive interest" in trading for Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic on the Crush City Territory Podcast.
Rome named the Pirates and the Boston Red Sox as two of the five teams he knows that are interested and said that those two teams are not necessarily the ones that will land them.
Paredes is a name that has been named in mock trades with the Pirates, but now, this signals that there is a serious chance he could end up on the team before Opening Day.
Why Pirates Are Targeting Paredes
The Pirates traded Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds at the deadline last season and now don't have a sure starting third baseman for 2026.
Jared Triolo fits there, as he is a utility option that can play all four infield positions and is a Gold Glove Award winner, but there is no real options behind him at that position.
While another trade for the Pirates seems like a lot with the fact they've made two trades this winter, there aren't any real options on the free agent market.
The Pirates have missed out on a few free agent third basemen they've pursued, including Japanese superstar Kazuma Okamoto, Jorge Polanco, Willi Castro, Yoán Moncada and most recently Eugenio Suárez, who just signed with the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year, $15 million.
Paredes fills that third base role and is in the final year of arbitration, where he makes $9.35 million, before becoming a free agent.
The Pirates also want another strong, right-handed bat in the lineup like Paredes, as their acquisitions of second baseman Brandon Lowe and slugger Ryan O'Hearn, plus returners in first baseman Spencer Horwitz and outfielders in Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds all hit left-handed.
Paredes is a right-handed power bat, hitting 100 home runs over the past four seasons, and at least 19 in all of those campaigns.
He also hit three home runs at PNC Park last season, all three over the left field wall, which is normally tough for right-handed hitters.
Season | Home Runs |
|---|---|
2022 | 20 |
2023 | 31 |
2024 | 19 |
2025 | 20 |
There are concerns with Paredes in terms of a high pull rate that works at Daikin Park in Houston but not in Pittsburgh.
Statcast shows that he would only have hit 11 home runs of his 20 last year at PNC Park, which means that only eight of his other 17 home runs would've counted.
Paredes is also not the greatest defensive third baseman, -4 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025, but the Pirates would love his power, as they hit the least home runs of any team last season at just 117.
Will Pirates Trade for Paredes?
The Pirates have already traded with the Astros this year, as they landed Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays, but also sent right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston, who then sent two prospects to Tampa Bay in the three team-trade.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and Astros general manager Dana Brown have that relationship, so that already existing helps in that regard.
The Pirates are in a difficult position this offseason where they have already traded Burrows and also fellow right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo to the Red Sox, meaning they don't have much starting pitching left to trade.
MLB teams, especially one like the Astros, will want major league-ready talent for this season that can contribute to the team.
The Pirates would likely look to move prospects, but the Astros might not be interested in their farm system, which is one of the best in baseball.
Houston may have interest in some of the other MLB players the Pirates have, especially as they try not coming close to the luxury tax for the next trade deadline.
Pittsburgh is getting more desperate by the day to add another bat and them going above and beyond for Paredes wouldn't come as surprising.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.