Odd Isaac Paredes' detail may have thwarted Astros' trade plans with Red Sox

For a while, it felt like the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox were hurdling towards an Isaac Paredes trade this offseason. There was the reported three-team variant that would have sent Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals to Houston (thus keeping him out of the Seattle Mariners' hands), but once the Red Sox dealt for Caleb Durbin, we assumed the talks were dead.

However, it's now come to light that talks continued even after Boston brought Durbin into the fold, with Boston eyeing Paredes to be a DH. The talks never got particularly close, and ultimately, the Red Sox, who already had a crowded situation at DH given their glut of outfielders, decided to move on.

Isaac Paredes may have had some say in why the deal between the Astros and Red Sox fell apart

Per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Paredes complained that he doesn't see the ball well at Fenway Park. Without a no-trade clause or any real leverage, Paredes couldn't block a deal, per se, but if he made these feelings known to both clubs, it certainly could've been a stumbling block.

Logically, it doesn't make a ton of sense. Paredes is an extreme-pull fly ball hitter. It's a trait that's made him such a perfect fit in Daikin Park. If there's any stadium with a more friendly left field than the Astros' home, it would be Fenway.

"But to be able to pull the ball, I have to be able to see the ball and hit it," he said. "And I can’t see it there," Paredes said via Healey. That's not an invalid point, though again, Fenway is noted as an extreme hitter's park.

The 27-year-old played quite a few games in Fenway as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and owns a .241/.369/.407 line there. That's not too far off his career .236/.337/.426 career mark.

If we're being honest, it sounds like an excuse. Paredes has moved around a lot over the course of his young career, from breaking in with Detroit in 2020 to moving on to Tampa for a couple of years, and then being traded to the Cubs and then the Astros. He might just not want to move again.

The more likely answer for why a deal never got particularly close has to do with the fact that Houston had little leverage but was unwilling to give the two-time All-Star away without receiving market value in return. After Boston acquired Durbin, Paredes became a luxury and not a necessity. Either way, Paredes is an Astro for another few months at least.