Astros' link to top trade name all but confirms worst fears on Isaac Paredes injury

There's less than one week remaining until the MLB trade deadline passes, and the Houston Astros are suddenly in the mix for the biggest name available. According to MLB insider Francys Romero, industry sources revealed that the Astros are showing interest in Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez.

That's sure to shock most Astros fans. While third base was an area of concern during the offseason, Houston shored up the hot corner after securing Isaac Paredes from the Chicago Cubs back in December. Paredes was part of the trade package for Kyle Tucker and has performed quite well during his first season in H-Town.

Unfortunately, Paredes suffered a significant hamstring injury right after the All-Star break. The Astros' rumored pursuit of Suárez would seem to indicate that this could potentially be a season-ending injury for Paredes.

Astros' link to Eugenio Suárez all but confirms worst fears on Isaac Paredes injury

Paredes had cooled off a touch after his red-hot start to the season. The 26-year-old, however, still owns a .259/.359/.470 slash line with 19 home runs and 50 RBI. Without Paredes in the lineup, Houston has been forced to deploy a mixture of Mauricio Dubón, Zack Short, and Shay Whitcomb at third base. None of those options are ideal, and if Paredes is expected to be out for an extended period of time, pursuing Suárez makes a ton of sense.

The D-backs third baseman has been one of the top performers all season. Making his second trip to the All-Star Game earlier this month, Suárez is hitting .252/.325/.593 with 36 home runs and 86 RBI this season. Suárez is a free agent after the season, and is in the final year of an eight-year, $79 million contract extension.

The price tag for Suárez's services is said to be huge. Though he's just a rental, the D-backs know what they have and are demanding a king's ransom in return. Fellow AL West challenger, the Seattle Mariners, are known to be interested in reuniting with Suárez, though they did just acquire Josh Naylor on Thursday night. In addition to the Mariners, the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees are known suitors, but others may also be in the hunt.

Though not that left-handed bat that Houston craves, Suárez's sweet right-handed swing would turn the Crawford Boxes at Daikin Park into his own personal playground. While it's tough to call Houston the favorites to land Suárez, seeing that they're now in the mix tells Astros fans everything they need to know about Paredes' injury.

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