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A pair of injuries over the last week may have thwarted the Houston Astros' original trade deadline plans. Originally in the market for a left-handed bat, the thought was the Astros could pursue Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays and insert the All-Star as their starting second baseman. However, Lowe landing on the IL likely takes him out of the Astros' plans for the deadline. Making things even worse, the Astros are dealing with their own injury after Isaac Paredes injured his hamstring over the weekend.
The Astros have yet to provide an official timeline for when Paredes will be back, but the expectation is that the All-Star third baseman will miss a significant amount of time. The injury to Paredes likely has the Astros in the market for another bat before the deadline, and chances are it will be for someone who can play third base.
That could place the Astros in a direct bidding way with their AL West rival, the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are in the market for an offensive upgrade at the deadline, and one player they have been linked to the most is Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. A report out of Seattle confirms the Mariners and Diamondbacks have already had preliminary talks on a potential deal.
Isaac Paredes' injury might trigger wild AL West scramble for upgrade
Adding Suarez would be the biggest splash the Astros could make in the aftermath of Paredes' injury. There's no shortage of suitors for Suarez ahead of the deadline as the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Detroit Tigers are the other contenders that have been connected to the All-Star third baseman. If the Diamondbacks decide to play the Mariners and Astros against each other, the cost to acquire Suarez will grow even higher.
A bidding war with the Mariners may be something the Astros will shy away from at the deadline. Third base is a new need, but the Astros are also believed to be interested in adding a starting pitcher. Smaller moves to address each of those needs could be the play for the Astros' front office instead of pushing all their chips to the middle of the table for Suarez.