Astros GM Drops Thinly-Veiled Isaac Paredes Hint Amid Red Sox Rumors

The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros have been engulfed in trade rumors all winter. The two squads seem like an obvious fit to pull off a deal, as Houston has five starting-caliber infielders, while Boston has four starting-caliber outfielders.

On the Houston side, the player that makes the most sense for Boston is third baseman Isaac Paredes, who was effectively shoved out of his position by Carlos Correa this summer. But Paredes is a great fit for Houston's ballpark, and he's under reasonably cheap control for the next two years.

With some rare exceptions, no general manager is going to come right out and say that a player is getting traded. That principle held for Astros general manager Dana Brown on Tuesday, but it was still abundantly clear that Paredes could be had if the right fit came along.

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Astros not hiding trade opportunity

Jul 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) is unable to make a play on a ground ball during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

During his media availability, Brown said that both first baseman Christian Walker and Paredes could still see significant playing time, but strongly hinted that if the right trade came along, the Astros would be happy to reconsider their current timeshare.

"Right now, both of them are still part of our roster and we have plans for both of them to play," Brown said, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. "Right now, our plan is for both of them to be there."

To act as if one of those two talented hitters would be gone when that's not a certainty would be foolish. But there are at least three triggers in those words from Brown ("right now," "still," and "right now" again), that seem to indicate that Paredes and Walker would be available if a team paid the price.

Boston has no use for Walker thanks to the Willson Contreras trade, and we know the Astros are probably holding out for either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu in a Paredes deal. Sending either standout outfielder to Houston, though, would be a losing value proposition for the Red Sox, and would require more in the package coming back than Paredes alone.

Spring training starts next week, so whatever gap exists between the two teams would have to be closed fast to avoid any chaos.

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