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BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 26: Interim Manager Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox, left and Interim Third Base Coach Chad Epperson #81 look out over the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox are exploring trade options for right-handed-hitting infielders. It’s been a rough start for the Red Sox this season, and part of the lackluster start can be attributed to the pairing of Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Trevor Story being so unproductive with the bat. By many metrics, Boston has one of the worst infields in baseball, and that’s with Willson Contreras having an All-Star-caliber season.
Here’s what Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had to say about the team exploring a trade: “We’ve been aggressive in terms of outreach and trying to identify players that we think can help us. Obviously, we’ve talked about the fact that the league is very compressed and there’s a bunch of teams — despite poor performance — who are still in it.”
The good news for the Red Sox is that the American League is still wide open, and Boston could get right into the thick of things with a solid winning stretch, but do they need to make a trade first? And what is the possibility that the Houston Astros will budge on All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes?
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Houston Astros Predicted to Trade Isaac Paredes
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, MLB writer Kerry Miller predicts that Isaac Paredes will be a third baseman in MLB traded this summer:
“Circling back to our previous discussion on Christian Walker, could Isaac Paredes also be on the trade block if the Astros are throwing in the towel? Most likely, it would be an either/or situation, with Houston willing to part with one before cementing the other at first base for 2027. But if they’re really admitting defeat and even putting Yordan Alvarez up for grabs with two years remaining on his deal?”
There isn’t a better right-handed hitter ‘supposedly’ on the MLB trade block than Paredes, and he’s an infielder, so it should be a no-brainer for the Red Sox, right?
Isaac Paredes is hitting .239 this season with an OPS+ of 102. He’s a 2X MLB All-Star, and over the last five seasons, he’s never been a below-average MLB hitter, according to the 100 OPS+ threshold.
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Isaac Paredes Fit in Boston
GettyIsaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros walks to first base after being hit by a pitch during the sixth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Daikin Park on May 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
After Trevor Story went down with an injury, the Red Sox desperately need to find some stability in their infield, and there might not be a better way to do that than trading for Paredes.
To the same token that the Red Sox might be hesitant in making trades, the Astros may feel like they still have a shot at the MLB playoffs due to a putrid AL West, where the first-place team (Mariners) isn’t even over .500.
However, the Red Sox have tradeable assets at their disposal to put together a strong enough package to acquire Paredes, who has two seasons left of team control before hitting MLB free agency.
And Paredes 162-game average numbers are pretty undeniable: 25 doubles, 26 home runs, 81 RBI, an OPS+ of 114, and a bWAR of 3.2.
Craig Breslow may have done some things wrong this offseason, but these upcoming summer months are the perfect time to make amends.
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TJ French covers the MLB for Heavy. TJ is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has 2+ years of writing experience. Follow TJ French on X: @tj_french5 More about TJ French