The Pittsburgh Pirates have been connected to an early-season trade.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the most intriguing teams in baseball heading into the 2026 MLB campaign thanks to a busy offseason in which they added numerous bats to address a porous lineup.
Even after the moves, the Pirates' offense is still lacking, as evidenced by the fact that Pittsburgh has managed just a .692 OPS thus far.
Obviously, it's still early in the season, but anyone could look at the Pirates' lineup going into the year and identify some holes. Third base was definitely one of them.
Pittsburgh had been linked to Eugenio Suarez throughout the winter, but the veteran slugger ultimately signed with the Cincinnati Reds.
That has left the Buccos with Nick Gonzales as their starting third baseman, and while he is hitting .318 on the young season, he owns a lifetime .259/.301/.375 slash line.
It's entirely possible that the Pirates could look to make a midseason move to rectify the hot corner, and Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer has already labeled them a potential trade destination for Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes.
Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes. Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images."Beyond that, the Astros could trade him to fulfill their need for pitching," Rymer wrote. "Their rotation already lacks depth, as Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. are not the pitchers they once were. The appeal of Paredes is simple. He isn't a good defender, but he works good at-bats and generates plenty of pull power. Since 2022, he's averaged 25 home runs per 162 games."
Perhaps Houston would be interesting in sending Paredes to Pittsburgh for Mitch Keller or something of the sort?
Paredes slashed .254/.352/.458 with 20 homers and 53 RBI over 438 plate appearances with the Astros in 2025, earning his first All-Star selection.
The 27-year-old began his big-league career with the Detroit Tigers in 2020 and has also spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.
Paredes' best season came with the Rays in 2023, when he slashed .250/.352/.488 with 31 long balls and 98 RBI across 571 trips to the dish.
He owns a lifetime .765 OPS, so Paredes has definitely been inconsistent at the plate throughout his career (just ask Cubs fans), but he would absolutely represent an upgrade over what the Pirates currently have, especially from a power perspective.
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