.jpg)
2 hours ago
3
The Cincinnati Reds are off to a great start for the 2026 season, with a record of 8-6 and in second place in the NL Central. While they are doing good, there are a few weaknesses they should address early in the season.
One is their lack of offense, as the reason why they won those eight games is usually because of their pitching. Sports Illustrated’s Thomas Carelli proposed the Reds start to fix that by making a deal with the Houston Astros for their two-time All-Star third baseman, Isaac Paredes.
The trade would look like this:
Reds get: 3B Isaac Paredes
Astros get: OF Rece Hinds, RHP Connor Phillips
“The Reds can certainly use a veteran 3rd baseman as they look to make the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. Ke'Bryan Hayes is not the answer. He batted sub-.240 in consecutive seasons, and now, he bats under .100 thus far in 2026. Hayes is an elite fielder, but that only gets you so far. Paredes is average at fielding in his own right, as that will do. If the Reds can get Paredes at a fair price, why not do it? This team has what it takes to go on an October run behind its stellar pitching rotation,” Carelli wrote.
So far this season, Paredes is slashing .226/.368/.355/.723 with four doubles and five RBI in nine games. This is still much better than Ke’Bryan Hayes, and if you look at last season, Paredes finished with 15 doubles, 20 home runs, and 53 RBI in only 102 games.
Paredes is set to make $9.4 million this season, and has a club option for $13.4 million next season. Both of these numbers are very much doable for a mid-market team like the Reds, so it would behoove them to try and deal for him.
Hopefully, they do and give their offense the facelift it needs. Getting Paredes with the bats of Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and Eugenio Suarez make Cincinnati the team to beat in the NL Central.
MORE MLB NEWS
English (US)