Astros Should Regret Passing on Isaac Paredes Trade as Value Slips

The issue with the 27-year-old infielder isn’t just his performance this year; it is the fit.

The Astros opened the year with a locked-in infield: Christian Walker at first, Jose Altuve at second, Jeremy Pena at short, and Carlos Correa at third. That lineup left no clear role for Paredes except on the sidelines.

Throughout spring training, it was apparent that the logjam existed; the question was just which player would be left out. The question was answered with Paredes.

When Peña hit the injured list, the door opened for Paredes to step up and take over. This clearly was the intended plan the team had in mind when they held onto him even through some serious trade propositions from teams like the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Instead of boosting his value, the opposite has happened. That surely wasn’t part of the plan.

Missed Trade Window Is Starting to Show

Through 14 games, Paredes is slashing .220/.339/.300. His .639 OPS is reflective of his struggle to really make an impact. He has just 11 hits in 50 at-bats, with four doubles, six RBI, and no home runs paired with his 11 strikeouts.

His patience at the plate seems to be there with five walks, but the production is not.

This is where the problem begins for Houston. Paredes wasn’t supposed to just be a depth piece, he was an asset to the team that could be a power hitter whenever called upon. His abilities in the infield matched with his performance at the plate made him valuable. Value is fluid in baseball, though, and unfortunately for a team already struggling, it’s not headed in the right direction.

Should the team continue to struggle, the front office will be forced to explore some trades and teams are still kicking around Paredes as a possible piece, but he no longer carries the sizzle he had before the season started.

Where the Astros had some leverage before 2026 kicked off, now they have to operate from a weakened position.

Sure, Paredes has the opportunity to turn things around, but the truth is that when Peña returns, Paredes’ opportunity to have consistent at-bats will decrease. With those fewer chances, it will become harder for him to rebuild his value before the trade deadline.

Houston chose this risk, and with every risk comes some form of reward - positive or negative. In the back of the front office minds has to also be the mounting injuries and whether they will ultimately need Paredes or if they move on to prospects should a deal arise to make a trade.

If Paredes doesn’t turn things around pretty soon, the conversation will no longer be about a missed trade; it will be labeled a missed opportunity that the Astros won’t recover.