Pirates bold trade deadline prediction revives familiar offseason rumor

Sometimes pundits get a trade idea in their head that they just can’t shake, no matter how seemingly nonsensical it might be. That seems to be the case as the staff of The Athletic has once again paired the Pirates with the Astros as trade partners.

Interestingly, the writers themselves note that Isaac Paredes is an odd fit for the Buccos, but maybe strange bedfellows are the exact thing that the Pirates need to push their way into the postseason.

Speculation about the Pirates’ interest in Paredes has been bandied about for quite some time now. The Astros third baseman is everything the Pirates need: stability at the hot corner, right-handed power, and a fairly cheap rental for the stretch run. The problem is, Paredes is a horrible fit for Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. If he played every game at PNC, he would have just 66 career home runs instead of the 106 he currently boasts. That’s troubling for a player whose greatest asset is his power.

Isaac Paredes might be the best and worst fit for the Pirates at the deadline

The Pirates could roll the dice. Starting August 1, Pittsburgh will play 27 games on the road against 24 at home. Luckily, those home series feature some of the worst teams in baseball: the Mets, Angels, Giants, and Royals. Additionally, the Pirates are already the best team in the Majors in terms of home batting average and runs scored. “Pretty good” Paredes is just icing on the cake.

It’s likely that the Pirates would have to part with big-league talent to get this job done. He won’t be as costly as Mason Miller, but there’s a world where Hunter Barco or Jhostynxon García feature in the deal or even one of the current rotation members such as Braxton Ashcraft. The Pirates have a surplus of talent, especially in pitching, so maybe this becomes the Mike Burrows deal version 2.0.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of this trade is Paredes’ contract. He’s being paid $9.35 million this year and has a team option of $13.35 million for 2027. The Pirates could see how his swing plays and how the other youngsters on the roster develop before making a long-term commitment. With the Pirates in contention earlier than expected, now is the time to make such a bold move.

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