Red Sox-Isaac Paredes Chatter Just Won't Go Away (But It Should)

Remember those Isaac Paredes trade rumors? The Boston Red Sox put those to bed for a couple of months, but they've come back in a major way.

Rather than aligning with the Houston Astros on a deal for Paredes, the Red Sox wound up landing fellow third baseman Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers, in a deal that seemed quite palatable at the time. But even if Kyle Harrison weren't pitching like prime Tom Glavine in a Brewers uniform, Durbin's putrid offense would have the Red Sox's front office at least somewhat open to other options by now.

On Thursday, Paredes was floated seriously as an option in a column by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller. There's yet to be a confirmed report of the Red Sox actively pursuing Paredes, but that hasn't stopped Red Sox social media from running with the idea for the last few weeks.

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Why Red Sox shouldn't be in Paredes market

Here was Miller's logic for the Red Sox pursuing Paredes, with his proposed Boston trade deadline goal being "buying runs."

"At 3.8 runs and 0.7 home runs per game, the Red Sox have had one of the least intimidating offenses in all of baseball," Miller wrote. "Some spots in the lineup have been more than fine, but 2B, 3B and SS have all been a struggle, especially the hot corner. Time to revisit those offseason talks about Isaac Paredes?"

Bear in mind, Paredes is only under contract through the end of next season, and in 40 games this season, he has three home runs and a 101 OPS+. He has two All-Star selections to his name, and his pull-heavy approach fits Fenway Park well, but he's never been anything close to a superstar.

It all comes back to figuring out the realistic goal for the Red Sox. Is this team truly one impact right-handed bat away from making a deep playoff run? Is this offense with Isaac Paredes swapped in for either Jarren Duran or Caleb Durbin (two guys who have performed a lot better in the past than they are right now) so much better that it becomes a threat to make the World Series?

If the answer to that last question is "no," then the Red Sox should scrap the idea of trying to trade for a win-now player like Paredes unless they intend to extend him.

And if they're intent on trading Duran to a team like the Astros, who could still use him, they should be trying to extend their championship window by bringing back a younger version of Paredes who could take Durbin's job or slot in at catcher, another offensive weak point. Maybe that necessitates a third team getting involved in the deal, or maybe the Astros are willing to send 2024 first-round pick Walker Janek to be a backstop of the future.

The fit just doesn't make a ton of sense, and the ideal version of Durbin was a target worth pursuing over Parede even when the Red Sox were in full win-now mode with their messaging this offseason.

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