The Boston Red Sox can’t seem to get out of their own way. Sitting at 9-17, and falling in the American League East, wholesale changes might need to be made soon. Rumors will start to circulate, but there’s a world where the Red Sox could actually get drastically better if they play their cards right.
With Brayan Bello struggling so much, it’s fair to assume he might be a trade chip, but his value continues to plummet, so what would a trade package to land Houston Astros‘ infielder Isaac Paredes look like? Houston may also be looking to trade off some of its valuable assets if they continue to lose.
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Red Sox Trade Pitch Sends Away Brayan Bello for Isaac Paredes
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox throws a pitch during the second inning against the New York Yankees in game two of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on October 01, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
SI.com’s Patrick McAvoy has Isaac Paredes at No. 3 on his big board of trade candidates, and the Red Sox are floated as a top destination:
“Paredes is going to be on this list pretty much all season. It was known throughout the offseason that the Houston Astros were shopping him, although no deal came together. Paredes isn’t having his best season yet, but someone should be willing to roll the dice on his power bat.”
Despite the headline, unfortunately, this can’t be a player-swap deal due to Brayan Bello’s immense struggles. So, in this hypothetical trade idea, the Red Sox offload Brayan Bello, Greg Weissert, and RHP prospect Marcus Phillies in exchange for Isaac Paredes.
Bello is tied to a six-year, $55 million contract, and is still just 26-years-old, but he’s hurt the Red Sox chances to win games several times this year already. Brayan Bello has a 9.00 ERA over 22 innings and five starts this season. Recently, he gave up eight runs to the Baltimore Orioles, in which five of those runs came via the home run variety, which is super concerning. It could be a good time to find a trade suitor for Bello, but Boston might have to take some of the financial burden of his contract to make a deal work.
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Brayan Bello’s Time with the Red Sox
Before this season, Brayan Bello has actually been a very serviceable starter for the last few years.
He debuted with the Red Sox in 2022, where he made 11 starts and posted a 4.71 ERA. His ERA continued to hover around the 4.40-4.80 range for the next three seasons.
In 2025, he showed huge strides in production by making 28 starts and boasting a 3.35 ERA over 166+ innings.
Over 102 total starts in his career, Bello has a lifetime 4.28 ERA with 479 career strikeouts. In 22 innings this season, he’s surrendered eight home runs and walked 13 batters, which is simply not sustainable.
There’s certainly some positive regression for Brayan Bello if Alex Cora continues to give him the ball, but it’s unclear how much runway he has if the starts don’t become more competitive.
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Red Sox-Astros Trade Idea Offloads Struggling $55 Million Starter for Isaac Paredes