Astros are positioned to exploit Red Sox desperation after Alex Bregman's exit

Houston Astros fans know all too well the type of drama that Alex Bregman creates on the free agent market. Bregman and his representation strung along the Houston faithful for almost an entire offseason before finally agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox last winter. But the former Astros infielder rolled the dice once again, re-entered the open market this winter. Bregman just signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Much like the Astros last offseason — the Red Sox now face the grim reality of a gigantic void at the hot corner. With Bregman off to the North Side of Chicago, Boston suddenly has a help wanted sign hanging outside Fenway Park as their search for his replacement at third base.

Alex Bregman's deal with the Cubs just put Isaac Paredes on the Red Sox radar

It just so happens that the Astros might hold the cure to what's ailing Red Sox Nation at the moment, and that's third baseman Isaac Paredes. Houston has been searching for a way to clear the logjam they created last summer after acquiring Carlos Correa. While they'd prefer to part ways with Christian Walker, Paredes is arguably their biggest trade asset.

GM Dana Brown and the Astros front office need to exploit the Red Sox desperation and dangle Paredes as a potential trade chip. Boston could always enter the free agent market and attempt to sign All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez, but Paredes offers Boston a much cheaper solution. Suárez is likely to command a two or three-year deal worth at least $20 million per season, while Paredes' salary will be somewhere between $8.75 million and $9.95 million.

Paredes is also a far-better contact hitter than Suárez. The Astros infielder struck out just 17.4% of the time in 2025 and posted an 11.4% walk rate. Suárez ranked near the top of the league in strikeouts with a 29.8% K-rate and only walked in 7% of his plate appearances.

Though Brown and Co. continue to maintain that they value Paredes and have a plan to allocate playing time appropriately, there are a myriad of flaws with that line of thinking. The Astros are already committed to Yordan Alvarez at DH, and finding adequate playing time for the trio of Correa, Walker, and Paredes while paying a combined $60 million for all three is untenable.

If the Red Sox come calling, the Astros have to listen. Between Paredes and Walker, it's obvious which player Houston would prefer to keep. But Walker's services — especially with $40 million remaining on his contract — are not attractive. Paredes, on the other hand, could bring back a nice haul in terms of prospect capital and could be moved if the Red Sox make a bold offer.