Astros could trade Isaac Paredes to fast track something bigger

At this point, it seems like a forgone conclusion that the Houston Astros are going to trade Isaac Paredes before Opening Day. Houston made efforts to move on from Christian Walker during the offseason, but came up short. As such, the Astros have a logjam at the corners and now have but one choice — trade Paredes.

Paredes has drawn plenty of interest throughout the winter, and the Astros — despite trading for Joey Loperfido — remain focused on adding a left-handed bat. Trading Paredes could help in that regard, but maybe Astros GM Dana Brown needs to be thinking long-term.

Astros could trade Isaac Paredes to help rebuild their farm system

Brown's operating on a one-year deal, so it's easy to see why he's focused on the immediate success of the franchise instead of what happens five years from now. If Houston underperforms this season and misses the postseason for the second year in a row, it's quite likely that he'll be looking for a new job next winter.

But the Astros need to do a self-audit and look at the team's up-and-coming talent. For far too long, Houston's farm system has been among the worst in the league, but with a plethora of draft picks in 2026 and the potential to flip Paredes for prospects, the Astros could turn one of the worst pipelines into one of the best.

Thanks to Hunter Brown's third-place Cy Young finish last season, Houston has two of the first 28 picks in the 2026 MLB Draft. Because the Astros missed the playoffs last season, they also pick higher in each round than they have in years past, and have a total of five picks within the first 121 selections in next summer's draft.

Given Paredes' pull-side power, inexpensive contract, and two years of team control, the Astros should be able to secure a top-50 prospect or a couple top-10 organizational prospects from a team who's had their eye on the slugging third baseman.

This is a chance for Houston to get a jumpstart on rebuilding a farm system that's going to be invaluable. The Astros have already lost Framber Valdez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker in recent years. While Astros fans hate to hear this, the same thing could happen to both Jeremy Peña and Hunter Brown. Then what happens?

So while the Astros could certainly flip Paredes for a trade package that could help them win this season, the better play might be to find a team willing to give up young, affordable talent that can impact the franchise in the future.