Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer Makes Astros Trade Rumor Look Absurd

If the Boston Red Sox want to make one more addition before Opening Day, it should be for a left-handed reliever. Arguably, the club is covered everywhere else at this point.

There's an argument that finding a salary dump partner for Masataka Yoshida would also make sense. That is true as well for both him and the team as he doesn't have a clear pathway to playing time. Outside of the idea of adding a lefty reliever or trading Yoshida, Boston doesn't really need to do anything else. The outfield has four elite options. Boston's rotation arguably is the best in baseball on paper. The Red Sox should be solid at catcher with Carlos Narváez and a healthy Connor Wong. The Red Sox addressed the infield as well. An infield featuring Willson Contreras at first base, Marcelo Mayer at second base, Trevor Story at shortstop and Caleb Durbin at third base with Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a super utility role is good. There's no need to overthink it.

But rumors picked up steam on Tuesday as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reignited the idea of Boston and the Houston Astros coming together on a deal around Isaac Paredes.

"The Houston Astros’ infield surplus is untenable," Rosenthal wrote. "General manager Dana Brown needs to resolve it by Opening Day, or he will create tension in his clubhouse and put manager Joe Espada in an uncomfortable spot. The necessary move is to trade third baseman Isaac Paredes for a left-handed-hitting outfielder, an idea the Astros have discussed most thoroughly with the Boston Red Sox, according to people briefed on the discussions. Talks stalled, however, and the clubs have not been in recent contact. ...

The Red Sox shouldn't make another move

Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) bats in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

"The Red Sox, even after acquiring Caleb Durbin from Milwaukee, still look like the best fit for Paredes — they could play him at third and Durbin at second without needing to rely on Marcelo Mayer. The Astros are not getting back Wilyer Abreu, whom they traded in 2022 for catcher Christian Vázquez. A deal constructed around Jarren Duran should remain within reach. By moving Duran, the Red Sox would create DH at-bats for Masataka Yoshida and eventually Triston Casas, who could return in May from a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee."

The idea of blocking Mayer while trading one of the team's best offensive players in Duran seems backward. But, on top of that, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow specifically talked about the importance of good defense before bringing in Durbin. Paredes had -4 outs above average in 2025 (15th percentile). Mayer had three outs above average in a small sample size.

That's not all. Mayer showed why he has elite defensive upside on Tuesday, the same day the chatter picked back up.

Marcelo Mayer flashing some leather at second base 👀 pic.twitter.com/hFeot1dRiE
— MLB (@MLB) March 4, 2026

Marcelo Mayer can't stop making flips with the glove and I can't get enough it. https://t.co/kYsfXwR0tE pic.twitter.com/9Ydh3WaANr
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) March 3, 2026

Mayer is significantly better defensively already and is just 23 years old. Paredes is a good player. But the idea of another deal just doesn't make sense at this point.