HOUSTON \u2014 In their series against the Astros this week, the Red Sox are getting an up-close reminder of one of the offseason paths they considered taking: third baseman Isaac Paredes.<\/p>\n
Paredes was a much-discussed, never-particularly-close trade possibility between the teams, a league source said, as the Red Sox tried to find new sources of offense and figure out their shifting infield (and as the Astros considered subtracting from an overcrowded infield).<\/p>\n
To Paredes, though, it was just another offseason. He has been traded four times in his career, experiences that allowed him to take a detached approach to a new round of reports that he could be on the move again because \u201cI can be traded wherever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, maybe it is OK that the Sox never consummated a deal, even as questions remain about the potency of their offense.<\/p>\n
Paredes finds it difficult to hit at Fenway Park.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI like playing there. I think the fans are awesome there,\u201d Paredes, via an interpreter, told the Globe before going 1 for 3 in Houston\u2019s 8-1 win<\/a> Monday. \u201cBut truthfully, it\u2019s not a stadium that I can see the ball well [at]. I don\u2019t know why. It\u2019s just difficult for me to see the ball there.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of the Red Sox\u2019 attraction to Paredes is his track record as a pull hitter. Since he is a righthander who tends to hit the ball in the air, it is easy to imagine him taking aim at the Green Monster to considerable success.<\/p>\n Or not?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good stadium for me; I\u2019m a pull hitter,\u201d Paredes said. \u201cBut to be able to pull the ball, I have to be able to see the ball and hit it. And I can\u2019t see it there.\u201d<\/p>\n In a small sample of 16 games at Fenway (all from 2022-24 when he was with the Rays), Paredes had a .241\/.369\/.407 slash line, comparable to his overall numbers.<\/p>\n At least some of the Sox\u2019 talks with the Astros revolved around Jarren Duran, the outfielder they most made available of their starting-caliber quartet. It wasn\u2019t so much a one-for-one concept as it was Paredes-plus for Duran or Duran-plus, a source said. In line with maintaining a high standard for any deal that would subtract Duran from the roster, the Red Sox deemed him worth more than only Paredes.<\/p>\n Even after the Red Sox acquired third baseman Caleb Durbin (0 for 2 against the Astros, extending his season-opening slide to 0 for 14) from the Brewers on Feb. 9, they continued to talk to the Astros about Paredes, thinking they could put him at DH (and keep the more defensively capable Durbin at third), among other possible alignments. But a deal never gained much further traction, a source said.<\/p>\n \u201cBaseball is a business, so I was just getting ready for whatever came,\u201d Paredes said. \u201cI\u2019ve been very comfortable here [with the Astros] and I\u2019m happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a Red Sox subplot in the Final Four on Saturday: One of the college men\u2019s basketball national semifinals pits the alma mater of hitting coach Peter Fatse<\/a> (UConn)<\/a> versus that of third base coach Kyle Hudson (Illinois)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Sox were flying to Houston on Sunday when UConn finished off its Elite Eight comeback against Duke. Their resident Husky may or may not have been monitoring the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cPeter was actually doing homework. He wasn\u2019t watching the game,\u201d manager Alex Cora said. \u201cSo if he says that he was watching it, he wasn\u2019t. But what a game.\u201d<\/p>\n Triston Casas<\/a> practiced sliding near the end of spring training, Cora said, another box checked amid his comeback from left knee surgery last May. Playing in minor league games is not imminent. \u201cI\u2019m not saying we\u2019re a long ways from that, but it\u2019s not this week,\u201d Cora said \u2026 Reds rookie first baseman Sal Stewart, who absorbed a Roman Anthony rocket off his left wrist on Opening Day, not only turned out to be fine but also earned National League Player of the Week honors. He went 7 for 10 with four extra-base hits and three walks in three games against the Red Sox \u2026 Agent Scott Boras was at Daikin Park on Monday for the starting pitcher matchup between a pair of his clients: Ranger Su\u00e1rez and the Astros\u2019 Lance McCullers Jr.<\/p>\n Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @timbhealey<\/a>.<\/p>\n