The Pittsburgh Pirates have been looking for a third base upgrade this offseason. However, they have lost out on two of the biggest names: Kazuma Okamoto and Eugenio Suárez. One trade target the Bucs have been rumored to be interested in is Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes. With the Astros re-acquiring Carlos Correa at the 2025 trade deadline, they could look to move Paredes before the start of spring training. However, Paredes has become a divisive trade target among Pirates fans. Some think he’s a phenomenal fit, while others strongly disagree. So if the Pirates end up going after Isaac Paredes, what are the pros and cons of acquiring him?
Sep 19, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Isaac Paredes (15) prior to the game against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Pros and Cons of an Isaac Paredes Trade for the Pirates
Pro: Paredes Has Been a Consistently Good Hitter
Since becoming a regular at the MLB level in 2022, Paredes has never put up a wRC+ below 115. The infielder missed part of 2025 due to a hamstring injury. He only appeared in 108 games with 438 plate appearances, but produced strong numbers when on the field. Paredes slashed .252/.352/.458 with a .353 wOBA, and 128 wRC+. He went yard 20 times with an isolated slugging percentage of .204.Â
Con: His Entire Value Comes from Hitting
Paredes is not a butcher at third base. However, he hasn’t graded out positively in both defensive runs saved and outs above average since 2022. Last year, he had -4 DRS and -3 OAA at the hot corner. For his career, he has +1 DRS with -5 OAA. Paredes has experience at other infield positions, but third base is where he is best suited, even if he does not bring much in terms of defense at that position.
Pro: Excellent Plate Discipline
Paredes has never had a walk rate below 10% or a strikeout rate over 20% since 2022. He has excellent plate discipline. Last year, he had an 11.4% BB rate with a 17.4% K rate. Paredes chased outside the zone just 21.4% of the time, which was in the 94th percentile. His whiff rate of 16.4% was in the 89th percentile. Paredes’ .254 batting average in 2025 was a career-best, so he makes up for it with a low K% and high BB%.
Con: He Doesn’t Make Excellent Contact
While Paredes has excellent plate discipline, he doesn’t often make quality contact. He set a career-high in exit velocity at 87.4 MPH, but that was only in the 14th percentile of batters in 2025. His 6.3% barrel rate also nearly matched a career high (6.4%), but that was still in the 27th percentile. Paredes had an xwOBA on contact of just .328, which sat well below the league average of .369.
Pro: Not a Rental, Not Expensive
Paredes settled to avoid arbitration on Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $9.35 million. That’s much less than what the Pirates put on the table for Eugenio Suárez. On top of that, he does not become a free agent until after the 2027 season. If the Pirates acquire Paredes, they’re getting a solution at third base for the next two seasons.
The Astros and Isaac Paredes avoided an arbitration hearing and settled at $9.35 million, source tells @TheAthletic
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 3, 2026
Con: Prospect Cost Won’t Be Cheap
Paredes is a consistently good batter who is under control for two more years; that won’t come cheap. The Pirates already traded two of their starting pitchers, including Mike Burrows, who went to the Astros. The Pirates could offer a top position player prospect who did well in the upper minor leagues, like Termarr Johnson or Esmerlyn Valdez. However, with how poor the Pirates’ hitting was last year, that’s a big risk. Of course, if Paredes hits as well as he has the last four seasons, it won’t matter that much.
Pro: Paredes Hits a Lot of Home RunsÂ
Paredes has hit 20 or more dingers in three of the past four seasons, and has an ISO of .203 since ’22. Overall, he has 90 long balls in the last four campaigns. That is more home runs than Jazz Chisholm Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Ronald Acuna Jr., and both Willson and William Contreras. The Pirates only hit 117 home runs in 2025. That was by far the least in baseball, with the next closest team, the St. Louis Cardinals, going yard 148 times.
?Isaac Paredes 2-RUN HR?#Astros lead the Pirates 3-0 in the 9th
Join us on SCHN@astros I #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/ExcqEgFpAM
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) June 4, 2025
Con: Can He Hit Homers in PNC Park?
To say that Paredes is a pull hitter would be an understatement. All 92 of Paredes’ career home runs have been pulled to left field. He has never gone oppo or to center field. Over a third of his batted balls since 2022 have been pulled fly balls. He is also the only batter to achieve a pulled air percentage over 1/3rd the last four years. PNC Park is the least home run-friendly park in baseball by a mile, with a 68 park factor. 100 is average, and the next closest park, the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field, has a HR park factor of 75. The average slugging percentage right-handed batters have on pulled flyballs in the 2020s in PNC Park is 1.294. The next closest is the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, with a slugging percentage of 1.441. That is nearly a 150-percentage-point difference.
Pro: Still Good on the Road
Paredes has played in home ballparks that are conducive to right-handed pull hitters. Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field and Houston’s Daikin Park favor Paredes’ play style greatly. While it is reasonable to question if he can hit in a park like PNC, Paredes has solid road numbers. When he is a guest, he has a .248/.343/.423 line, with a .337 wOBA. As long as he remains somewhat playable at PNC Park, he could be an above-average hitter overall if he continues his solid road splits.
There’s a reason why Isaac Paredes has Pirates fans so divided right now. There are plenty of reasons why the Pirates should have him, and plenty of reasons to be skeptical of how he would do with the Bucs. We shall see whether the Pirates acquire Paredes. He could end up being the piece that pushes the team over the edge in 2026, or he could be a regrettable trade acquisition.
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Main Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images