Houston Astros Counting on Trade Acquisition to Live up to Lofty Billing

The Houston Astros lineup is going to look a lot different in 2025 than it has in recent years after several players were on the move this winter.

Third baseman Alex Bregman left in free agency, signing a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, marking the end of an era for the franchise.

He wasn’t the only impact player who was on the move.

The Astros traded right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs after coming to the harsh realization they likely wouldn’t be able to afford paying him the kind of money he will seek as a free agent after the year.

In exchange for him, the team acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and star prospect Cam Smith.

Based on that return package, it would be fair to assume that Houston always knew they weren’t going to be able to retain Bregman and wanted to make sure they had some contingency plans in place.

Paredes isn’t going to be able to replace everything that the two-time All-Star brought to the table. He was a leader in the clubhouse and defensively there will certainly be a drop off in production.

But, the decrease may not be as drastic as some people would believe it to be.

Paredes was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 before he was traded to the Cubs ahead of the deadline. He is a good player, someone that Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes is firmly in the top half of the starters at his position.

Reuter shared rankings for the starting third basemen in baseball and Houston’s newest slugger came in at No. 11.

That is a lofty ranking, especially given how much he struggled with Chicago after the trade. Recency bias could certainly be making a strong impression with how he is being viewed as his production plummeted.

Paredes isn’t coming to the Astros riding a ton of positive momentum, but he certainly has a chance to break into the top 10 of these rankings if he can regain his power stroke.

Daikin Park was made perfectly for his swing.

His 40.1% pull percentage is amongst he highest in baseball as he is going to make great use of the Crawford Boxes in left field. Should he continue hitting fly balls at an above-average rate, his home run and doubles numbers are going to increase accordingly.

That power is what Houston hopes he can bring consistently, as Tucker and Bregman provided a lot of punch for the lineup that will need to be replaced.

Recommended Articles