Proposed Astros trade of Jeremy Peña is absolutely deranged (and will never happen)

The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox have the impression of being inevitable trade partners before Opening Day, and it's not hard to understand why. The Astros have too many outfielders with a need in the outfield, while the Red Sox have too many outfielders with a need in the infield. Quite literally the definition of let's make a deal.

One doesn't need a sports management degree to point to Isaac Paredes likely being the infielder the Astros are going to part with, and one of Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu being the outfielder the Red Sox would give up.

That is the problem when it comes to these made-up trade proposals. They often offend all kinds of baseball sensibilities. It's mostly because the names are tossed into some data-driven system that assigns value to each trade, and if it matches, the impression is that it's a good trade.

The principle ignores a player's contract, long-term status with the team they are currently on, etc. All this to say that while we aren't taking anything personally with Bleacher Report Kerry Miller's fresh trade ideas, the suggested trade with the Red Sox needs to be set on fire.

The Astros would trade WHO?! to the Boston Red Sox?

Miller throws out the idea of the Astros trading shortstop Jeremy Peña to the Red Sox for Duran and infielder Dorian Soto. The lunacy of this trade revolves around the fact that, through using Baseball Trade Values, the value exchanged is a near match.

Of any players on the Astros roster, the one who certainly shouldn't be traded is Peña. There likely will come a point when Houston is forced to move him because they aren't going to pay him, but he is still under control for two more seasons. Had the Astros reached the playoffs and Peña not missed nearly a month of the season, he would've been an under-the-radar MVP candidate.

The same couldn't have been said for Duran, who was healthy in 2025 and on a team that made the playoffs. Not to mention, sure, Duran would check the box of Houston addressing their need in the outfield, but leave a seismic hole in the infield.

The Astros and Red Sox could very well push a trade across the finish line before Opening Day, but it almost certainly won't involve Peña. If it does, Dana Brown, pack your bags.