Do the Boston Red Sox have one more blockbuster trade in store? The team’s roster logjam has been well documented, and with MLB Opening Day right around the corner, Craig Breslow could make one more meaningful deal to clear that logjam, add another valuable infielder, while offloading a burden of a contract.
In an MLB mock trade by Fansided.com’s Chris Landers, Landers predicts that the Red Sox could move on from Masataka Yoshida due to his hot hitting in the WBC, and a return includes Houston Astros‘ All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes, who has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason.
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Red Sox-Astros Trade Prediction Lands Isaac Paredes
GettyIsaac Paredes
The Astros have a conundrum of having too many right-handed-hitting infielders, which makes Paredes the guy most likely to be moved.
In the trade prediction by Landers, the Boston Red Sox acquire Isaac Paredes in exchange for Masataka Yoshida and Kyson Witherspoon:
“This has felt inevitable for months now, and maybe Yoshida catching fire in Tokyo is finally enough to get it over the finish line. Paredes might have a path to playing time now that Jeremy Pena has been sidelined by a fractured finger, but that doesn’t seem like it’ll hold him out too long, and when he returns, Houston will be once again stuck with too many right-handed hitters and too many infielders/DH types to play at one time.”
Masataka Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million deal before the 2023 season. He boasts a career .282 average with a 109 OPS+ over three seasons, but in just 55 games last season, Yoshida underperformed, which has led to some fans wanting the Red Sox to trade off his hefty contract.
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Isaac Paredes Would be a Great Fit in Boston
Even if this deal is unlikely due to the Red Sox already having their infield figured out with the signing of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and trade for Caleb Durbin, Isaac Paredes would be a great fit in Boston, and his production with the bat is more than Kiner-Falefa and Durbin’s combined.
Paredes is a two-time All-Star who hit 20 home runs in 102 games last season with a 123 OPS+. He’s a well-above-average hitter who boasts a career 115 OPS+ over six MLB seasons.
He missed some time last year due to injury, which is another reason the Astros might want to trade him, but in terms of financial flexibility, it makes a lot of sense why Boston would trade for a player who has yet to hit free agency and is under team control for the next two seasons.
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