There is a 100% chance this problem will fix itself WHEN just one of Correa, Altuve, Yordan, or Walker get injured. At that point we will WISH we hadn't traded Isaac when we're get a nice dose of Nick Allen. I say just roll with it man.
Not that it changes your point, but I don’t think Nick Allen will be more than a late game defensive replacement anywhere except SS, even if Houston gets a rash of injuries: 1B: Loperfido, Biggio, and Dezenzo would be next up if Paredes is traded and Walker gets hurt. 2B: Matthews would be next up ahead of Allen, and I think even Loperfido and Whitcomb would get a look before Allen. There’s also now the option to give Biggio a shot. 3B: Biggio, Matthews, Dezenzo, and Whitcomb would all probably be ahead of Allen if Correa got hurt.
I fully expect the Astros to try to trade Paredes. If that doesn't happen, I expect Paredes is starting for the Astros.
If no trade, this is my guess at how the opening 7 games in seven days at home is handled. Opening day with HB on the mound. Pena SS Paredes DH Yordan LF Altuve 2B Correa SS Walker 1B Yainer C Cole RF Meyers CF Basically, everyone plays opening day to set the tone. Even if it means Yordan in LF. It is at home and HB is ground ball heavy. Second game: Paredes to 1B Yordan DH Walker Benched Loperfido to LF Message is Walker is first to sit. Third game Paredes to 2B Altuve to LF Yordan DH Everyone plays again. That gets you through the first three games. For the next four games, I sit Altuve, Paredes Correa Yordan in games 4-7. All core players play 6 games in 7 days. Peña plays all 7.
Exactly. The return has to be worth trading him. Trades solely with the Red Sox clearly fell through as well as the proposed 3 team deal with us getting Donovan. How many other teams have a similar valued OFer they are willing to swap with us? If they don’t have a surplus and therefore a desperate need to do the swap as well, there’s no reason for them to not try to rip us off. We don’t have the negotiating power here. This is why I personally don’t expect him to be traded at this point. I could be wrong but just doesn’t seem to be anything out there that makes sense.
Yeah, Paredes is the team’s 2nd best hitter, he will play. I think a lot of the discussion on this topic is out of fan boredom. It’s pretty obvious that if he’s not traded (which would be surprising), his playing time will come at the expense of Walker (benched against any good RHP), Alvarez (playing LF more and getting more rest days), and Altuve (getting more rest days) until the inevitable injury solves the problem.
make no mistake , Im hoping we keep all our infielders. I think there is enough overlap if Paredes can play a passable 2B , even better if he can play some !b as well. Also our PT issue is helped a bit if we can play correa at 2b some . If correa agrees to 30 2b starts that could open up 30 3B starts for paredes . The thing about people saying it would be hard for espada to figure out are fooling themselves. Even if he is done , someone in the astros FO can put together 3 or 4 plans in 15 minutes. BUT , my caveat is im NOT sure paredes will be good defensively at 2b and 1b . Im worried about his mobility after injury. 1B is a position that requires stretching . 3b requires busting it in. 2B requires good lateral mobility. Hes never been super athletic and isn't super young ( from an injury recovery timeline) i think we could be trying to sell high on him , he is a fantastic bat , but he really is more valuable in our park than in most situations . Same thing , i think we are trying to sell high on walker . Doesnt seem to be anyone biting . All these guys are veterans , they should be cool sharing time . We do have an infield spending dominance , but that is driven by correa, altuve , walker . Getting rid of paredes doesnt make sense there , unless we bring in cheaper IF . Our IF has 5 guys , 2-3 of which are good defenders at their position ( pena , correa, walker ) . Altuve and paredes are here for their bats only pretty much. ew have nick allen and bryce matthews for backup . 5 guys for 4 positons ( 4.5 if you count DH ) is not a surplus problem . Dana be lying through his teeth. our OF has : dezenzo , smith , whitcomb, meyers , cole, yordan , loperfido for 3 positions ( 3.5 if you average DH between IF and OF ) bryce can probably play both IF and OF . whitcomb and dezenzo have been tried at various IF positions too . I think we would like to improve our top end in the OF . but cole and smith and matthews are all dice rolls at that. I really like what dana has done this offseason . I think we are very competitive at SP , and my biggest concern is Hader health , abreu being amazing again ( i trust him to be good , but is he a top 10-15 rp again ? ) , and the other guys . Dana brough in a couple of camp guys . Id like to see lance and spencer maybe tried out in the pen. Brown Imai Burrows are a good 1-3 and we at least have a chance at putting up an above average 4 and 5 . Im curious to see Ullola this year.
None of that is very reassuring. If Isaac is gone and there's an injury to an infielder starter, we're effed.
1) Kikuchi is the most likely opening day starter. Since he is left handed, I expect Cam or Dezenzo to start in RF instead of Cole. If any of Walker, Paredes, Correa, Altuve, Yordan, or Pena are given a day off in the first week they will be pissed unless they are hurting. This is the issue.
Opinions vary. I am pretty bullish on the likelihood of at least one of Loperfido, Dezenzo, and Matthews emerging as a quality everyday player (or 2 of them potentially forming a productive platoon). Obviously what Houston gets in return for Paredes matters a great deal, and there is definitely a point at which it makes more sense to keep him. But if they get a good value in return, I like their depth better this year than the last 2-3 seasons.
This all works well until one of the guys you plan to bench goes 3-4 with a HR and everyone starts railing on Espada for benching a hot hitter.
It's going to be absolutely insufferable listening to people cry about this and Espada's lineup choices throughout the season if Paredes isn't dealt.
There's also a non zero chance Walker is washed. Jose Abreu was good at the end of the 2023 season and was good in the playoffs. He had an OPS of .760 in the 2nd half. If you include his playoff performance, he had pretty much the same OPS as Walker in the 2nd half.
Again, I'm a simple man... IDGAF or rat's a$$....not trading Parades unless for all-star caliber LHH OF like Duran or Abreu plus prospect or he's the headline in a package for SP2. Parades is like #3 best hitter on this team at minimum.
I understand not trading Paredes unless the return improves the 2026 team. I agree with this 100% But to get Duran or Abreu, it would be the Astros who need to add to the deal, not Boston, which is why a deal wasn't done. I still think a deal must he done because the Astros refuse to make Yordan the primary DH (and that's the only reason) I think that if Paredes is a 3 WAR player then getting a 2 WAR player in return improves this team because Yordan, Altuve, Correa, and Walker cimbine for an additional 1+ WAR just having that issue resolved. IMO This infield surplus hurts this team until/unless an injury happens.
Yeah I’m sorry but that’s insane to take a lesser player for Paredes. A 2 WAR OFer either can’t hit or isn’t worth a damn defensively. The chances all those guys stay healthy all season AND Walker doesn’t continue to decline is damn near zero. I think you’re a bit too worried about the clubhouse and players feelings. Yordan just publicly stated he wants to play LF. If you’re so worried about all their feelings, I guess we should just give in and let him play everyday out there then. Earlier you brought up the Ryan Pressly situation. The difference is he was already crying about it at this point. If anyone should be pissed, it should be Paredes who has the most to lose by being moved around all over the place and doesn’t have a contract like Correa, Walker, Altuve and Yordan. Instead of crying like Pressly, he showed up to ST saying he will play wherever the team needs him and got work in this offseason at 1B, 2B and 3B.
If Dana shares your opinion of those 3 players Walker will be the one dealt. If one of those three can play OF on a daily basis, we don’t need to trade the one who gets the best return, we need to keep the one who gives us the most
You got the infield surplus...you find a f**king way to play those guys, keep everyone fresh and happy. That's on Espada to do his damn job. I mean it's like a moot point that one injury is likely going to happen but until then...they need to figure it out. Parades when healthy can put up .800+ OPS, 25+ HRs, 75-85 RBIs in #2 hole with 500 ABs. You find a way to put him in the lineup somehow/someway.
