The Houston Astros entered the offseason with a clear challenge: too many infielders and not enough clarity on how to sort them out. Fast forward to mid-February, and that logjam remains firmly in place.
One potential solution nearly came together-a three-team deal that would’ve sent Isaac Paredes to the Red Sox and brought Brendan Donovan to Houston. But talks stalled, Donovan ended up in Seattle, and Boston pivoted to acquire Caleb Durbin from Milwaukee.
So here we are. The Astros still have a crowded infield, and Paredes remains on the roster with no clear resolution in sight.
Now, the Brewers have emerged as a possible trade partner. On paper, it makes some sense.
Houston is reportedly shopping Paredes for a left-handed-hitting outfielder, a profile Milwaukee could potentially offer. But as with most things in baseball, the devil’s in the details-and the details here are complicated.
Let’s start with Milwaukee’s side of things. The Brewers just shipped Durbin out, a move that thins their depth at third base.
Sure, their farm system is loaded with promising infielders, but none are expected to be ready to take over at the hot corner in 2026. That creates a potential opening for someone like Paredes, who brings a solid bat and defensive versatility.
But here’s the catch: money.
Paredes is set to earn $9.3 million this season, with a club option for 2027. That number might not raise eyebrows in some front offices, but for the Brewers, it’s significant.
This is a team that typically operates with one of the leanest payrolls in the league. Just look at how they handled Brandon Woodruff-accepting his qualifying offer at $22.025 million was a big swing by their standards.
So if Milwaukee is going to take on a player like Paredes, it’s likely only happening if Houston agrees to eat a chunk of that salary. And that’s where the deal starts to fall apart.
From Houston’s perspective, moving Paredes would help ease their infield congestion and clear some payroll flexibility. But they’re not in the business of subsidizing contracts just to make a trade happen-especially not when they believe they can still make it work with Paredes and Christian Walker sharing time.
That’s the other layer to this: the Astros aren’t in panic mode. Sure, it’s not ideal having two players vying for the same spot, but if the clubhouse dynamic holds and both guys produce, there’s no immediate pressure to force a trade. Unless the situation between Paredes and Walker becomes unworkable, Houston seems content to ride it out and see how things unfold.
Could the Brewers circle back if the Astros get more motivated to deal? Absolutely. But right now, the gap between what Houston wants and what Milwaukee is willing to do-especially financially-is too wide to bridge.
So the infield logjam remains. And unless something shifts soon, Isaac Paredes will be reporting to spring training wearing Astros colors, still waiting for his next chapter to be written.