Isaac Paredes Trade Talk Resurfaces for Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox should always be open to adding, but every move doesn't make sense.

Jul 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) reacts after striking out during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Could the Boston Red Sox make another big trade before Opening Day?

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic certainly left the door open to the possibility in a column about the organization on Monday. In the process, Rosenthal specifically mentioned Patrick Sandoval, Brayan Bello, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida as options. Also, Rosenthal surprisingly floated Isaac Paredes as a trade option for the team.

"[Craig Breslow] is not ruling out another offensive addition; no head of baseball operations ever considers his work completely done," Rosenthal wrote. "The Red Sox still could trade from their relative surplus of starting pitchers. (Patrick Sandoval? Brayan Bello?) They also could move an outfielder, most likely Duran, to open up DH at-bats for the Sox’s invisible man, Masataka Yoshida. With Duran and Anthony expected to split the left-field and DH roles, the Sox also could do the same type of salary dump with Yoshida that they did with righty Jordan Hicks.

The idea of Isaac Paredes doesn't make sense

Jul 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) laughs with teammates before playing against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

"Talks for Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes currently appear stalled, but he’s another pull hitter who could make sense for Boston. If Paredes was at third, the Red Sox could go with [Caleb Durbin] at second and rely less on the oft-injured, unproven Mayer."

Paredes made sense for the Red Sox before the club acquired Caleb Durbin. Making a trade now with Houston arguably wouldn't make much sense. Red Sox manager Alex Cora made it known that Mayer still needs to win a job out of camp, but that doesn't mean the expectations aren't high. What else are you supposed to say? Mayer is just 23 years old and has all the upside in the world. Depleting the farm system further for another infielder who would block Mayer's path to playing time would be counterproductive in the long run.

When it comes to trade chips, Bello and Duran shouldn't be options at this point. At the beginning of the offseason, Boston had multiple holes to fill. As of writing, the club really doesn't have any glaring holes, outside of maybe a left-handed reliever. Trading Bello or Duran would be far too high a price to pay for something like that, obviously. Sandoval or Yoshida would make much more sense at this point if the club can get a reliever that moves the needle. The idea of being open to the idea of a trade makes sense. But Bello and Duran should not be available and there's no reason to pursue Paredes.