The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros have already spent time circling each other as trade partners, and this winter could bring the conversation back in a bigger way.
Isaac Paredes was the name that kept popping up last offseason. Boston needed more power, Houston needed an outfielder, and Jarren Duran kept surfacing as a possible piece going the other way.
At one point, the two clubs and the St. Louis Cardinals even held “serious discussions” on a three-team deal that would have sent Paredes to Boston.
It never came together, but that doesn’t mean the fit disappeared.
Paredes still makes sense for the Red Sox, and he’s likely to come up again once rumors start flying. But if Boston wants to get more aggressive, Carlos Correa is the much bolder name to watch.
The Astros are at a crossroads. They can either lean into a rebuild and move off their pricier contracts, or keep trying to push forward with the group they have. Houston finished 81-81 in 2026, squeezed into the playoffs, and then was immediately eliminated by the Chicago White Sox.
If that turns into a full reset, Correa becomes a fascinating target for Boston. He missed most of 2026 because of an ankle injury, appearing in only 32 games, though he was closer than expected to returning late in the year.
That at least points to a healthier outlook for 2027. And when Correa is right, he gives the Red Sox exactly the kind of right-handed impact bat they need.
Boston could use him at designated hitter, or simply plug him into the left side of the infield and shuffle someone else into the DH spot. Either way, he’s the sort of bat that changes the shape of a lineup.
There’s also the contract. Correa is owed a little more than $20 million per year in 2027 and 2028, with four vesting options built into the deal.
If the Red Sox and Astros actually start talking seriously, Boston could offer Houston a package built around a healthy, former All-Star in Tanner Houck, an intriguing young arm in Rivera, and Duran, who still has two seasons of control. The Astros’ pitching was rough in 2026, so that kind of return would give them immediate help on the mound while adding a controllable outfielder into the mix.
In Other News...
Astros Face A Jose Altuve Decision Nobody Wanted
Jose Altuve has been one of the defining figures of this era in Houston, and the contract he signed before the 2024 season was supposed to keep that familiar core intact through 2029. For a while, it looked like a smart bet. He continued to provide strong value through age 34, giving the Astros the kind of steady production and leadership that has helped anchor the franchise for years.
Then the shape of the conversation changed. The move to left field in 2025 was supposed to help ease the burden, but it did not produce the defensive boost Houston wanted, and by 2026 Altuves offensive and defensive numbers both had taken a significant step back. For a club built around maximizing every season of contention, the challenge is no longer whether Altuve can still matter - it is how the Astros manage a player they never expected to be facing this kind of decision this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Offseason Starts With One Bullpen Decision They Can't Miss
The Astros are heading into the winter with the usual expectation that they will try to patch the holes without tearing down much of anything. After winning the division in 2026 only to be swept in the Wild Card round, the front office has some clear work to do, and the early checklist starts with keeping the core intact. Isaac Paredes should be back if the club option is exercised, but the bullpen is the more immediate pressure point, especially with Steven Okert headed toward unrestricted free agency after a strong season.
Okerts case matters because Houston does not just need innings, it needs reliability in the late-game mix. Tatsuya Imai adds another layer to the conversation, since his contract gives him an opt-out and his season carried a split identity, with rougher results as a starter and better ones once he moved to relief. For an Astros club trying to avoid a short October again, the bullpen decisions this winter may end up shaping the whole offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Are Letting Joe Espada's Future Become Its Own Problem
Joe Espada has been part of the Astros day-to-day fabric since 2018, first as a coach and then as manager, so any uncertainty around his status is not just a front-office footnote. It lands in a moment when the organization has already shown it is willing to make hard calls, having parted ways with GM Dana Brown during the 2023 season, and that backdrop makes every bit of silence around the dugout job feel more significant.
Reports had circulated that Espada was told he would not be back, only for the team to deny that version of events, and as of early October 2023 there still had been no public decision. For a club that usually prefers clarity when it finally moves, the longer this stretches on the more it turns into its own problem, with the managers future hanging in the balance while the Astros leave everyone else to read between the lines. [Read more 🡒]