If Boston is able to pull off the move, what dominoes will fall?
On Saturday, we got another indication that the Boston Red Sox are interested in trading for Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes.
We've heard about the team's interest in Paredes for months now, but nothing has happened.
The following comes from the Crush City podcast and host Chandler Rome of The Athletic:
"(Paredes) is the guy that I keep hearing is the one that is being sought after the most," Rome said on the podcast. "I've heard as many as five teams show legitimate and aggressive interest in Isaac Paredes. There are two that I'll be willing to share, but I want to stress, just because I say these two, it doesn't mean it's going to get done with these two teams. They've got other teams interested. ... The Boston Red Sox, as we know, they remain interested in Paredes. According to people I've talked to, the Pittsburgh Pirates have also picked up their pursuits there."
About Paredes
Now 26 years old, Paredes is a six-year veteran out of Mexico. He made his debut in 2020 with the Detroit Tigers but has also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Astros. A two-time All-Star, he's a career .237 hitter with 92 homers and 287 RBIs. He's had double-digit home runs in each of the last four seasons and with his dead-pull approach, he's an ideal fit for Fenway Park. He's also under team control for two more seasons.
What would it mean for the rest of the roster?
Well, if the Red Sox were to acquire Paredes, it would certainly complicate things.
1) He would become the team's starting third baseman, presumably forcing Marcelo Mayer to second base.
2) Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, and Romy Gonzalez, all potential second base options, would have less chance at making the roster.
3) Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who just signed a $6 million deal, clearly has a role on this team, but does he become a platoon partner at second for Mayer?
4) And still, the Red Sox would have an outfield/DH glut. Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida are five people battling for four spots. Will one of them be moved in order to facilitate the Paredes deal? It remains to be seen, but with less than a week to go until spring training, we should start to see some action one way or the other.
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