Astros’ misguided offseason trade decision continues to look worse and worse

Over the offseason, it felt like the Houston Astros trading Isaac Paredes was a foregone conclusion. There were plenty of suitors like the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates, just to name a few. However, as winter gave way to spring, it became clear that Paredes wasn't going anywhere. The conventional wisdom was that the game of musical chairs had come to an end, and without a place to deposit the two-time All-Star, the Astros would have better luck getting value for him at the trade deadline.

There were a couple of near-misses. Houston and Boston nearly linked up with the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team deal that would have sent Paredes to Boston and current Seattle Mariner Brendan Donovan to the Astros.

The Red Sox would engage Houston for a second time, even after they acquired Caleb Durbin to man the hot corner, this time eyeing the 27-year-old to serve as their primary DH. Yet again, talks ended without a resolution.

Even with spring training underway, the Pirates were still circling Paredes, but once again, the Astros were unable to reach an agreement.

Astros' pickiness in Isaac Paredes trade talks may have cost them dearly

Going into the 2026 season with the infield logjam intact and Paredes serving as the odd-man-out was less than ideal. A pair of early-season Jeremy Peña injuries has cleared the bottleneck and given Paredes ample playing time.

Unfortunately, production hasn't come with the unexpected run. Paredes is hitting just .234/.345/.319 over 13 games and 55 plate appearances. His power outage stands in stark contrast to the heaters that many of his teammates have enjoyed to start the season. If the slump lingers, his value will diminish. If he isn't able to turn it around before Peña returns to action and his playing is cut, the price he'll command at the trade deadline will tank.

The reality of the situation is that eventually the surplus of infielders must be addressed. Again, Paredes seems to be the odd man out. But if he continues on the path he's on, he won't net much.

We're not privy to everything that went on during the offseason negotiations, but the Astros made it clear that they wouldn't move him for anything less than what they thought was good value. No one was willing to meet that threshold, given the lack of leverage Houston has.

If Paredes doesn't turn it around soon, the Astros might pay the price for their offseason pickiness. They might find themselves wishing they were a little less choosy over the offseason, because, as of now at least, they'll get a whole lot less back for Paredes, their most eligible bachelor.

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