The Boston Red Sox need a power hitter to round out their roster before next season, just as they did last year. But the options on the free agent market are rather underwhelming (and many don't easily fit in Boston due to its outfield logjam), which means the Sox could be bidding-warred into overpaying for a good-to-average player.
There's always the trade market. The Red Sox have traded for most of their biggest stars in recent years (Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, etc.), and given this year's poor free agent class, they might get right back to working the phones.
Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes could be a good option for Boston again. The Astros tried to trade him last season to lessen their infield surplus, but they never found a suitor willing to offer a return they liked. Now that Paredes only has one year of control remaining on his contract, Houston may be able to land a return package it deems suitable.
Astros reporter Chandler Rome of The Athletic seems convinced that Houston will look to trade Paredes to free up third base for the returning Carlos Correa (subscription required). Correa on May 5 sustained a severe injury to a tendon in his ankle which required season-ending surgery to fix. The injury artificially solved the Astros' infield logjam, but it's back on now that Correa is healthy.
Astros insider reports Isaac Paredes might be back on the trade market, and Red Sox should be interested
Paredes posted the best offensive season of his career in 2026, which will keep his value high even as he prepares to enter free agency after 2027. He slashed .262/.360/.447 with 27 doubles (career high), a triple and 25 home runs (career high) over 155 games. Paredes has always had a good eye for the strike zone, but he was at his best in 2026 with 88 strikeouts (13.4 strikeout percentage, 92nd percentile) compared to 71 walks (10.8 walk percentage, 73rd percentile).
The Red Sox have sought hitters who can pull the ball in the air to the left side to best use the Green Monster and Fenway Park's hitter-friendly dimensions. Paredes carried a 33.5 pull AIR percentage this season, and though that's the lowest figure he's posted since 2022, he's still a great fit for Fenway. He's clocked an .823 OPS, two doubles and three homers in 19 career games at Fenway Park.
In the field, a large majority of Paredes' innings have come at third base. That wouldn't fly in Boston, however, since Caleb Durbin is a lock for the Gold Glove Award at third base after a stellar year. Paredes' defense can't rival Durbin's, so he could move to first base and the Sox could move Willson Contreras to the designated hitter spot. Paredes could also be the DH, or the two sluggers can swap often to give them plenty of rest.
Given Paredes' contract status, the success of his 2026 campaign and the state of this offseason's free agent class, the competition for him will be fierce. The Red Sox dealt much of their top-end talent either last offseason or at the trade deadline to land Adley Rutschman, so it'll be interesting to see if they can pull of another big trade.
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