The Yankees don’t have a free-agent answer at third base yet, but Houston may end up handing them a possible trade target.
That possibility starts with Isaac Paredes, who enters the offseason tied to a reported $13.35 million Astros club option for 2027 after a strong 2026 season. The expectation is that Houston will pick up the option, but that doesn’t mean Paredes has to stay put if the Astros decide their infield picture needs a shakeup.
And it’s crowded in Houston. Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker are all part of the Astros’ infield plans, which leaves the club with a real roster crunch and a decision that could spill into the trade market. For the Yankees, whose third-base production lagged badly in 2026, that kind of logjam is the sort of thing worth watching closely.
Paredes’ 2026 numbers help explain why Houston would want to keep the door open. He hit .262 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .447 slugging percentage, 25 home runs and 94 RBIs in 155 games. FanGraphs credited him with a 130 wRC+ and 4.4 wins above replacement.
His contract situation adds another layer. The reported deal pays him $13.35 million in 2027 if the Astros exercise the club option.
If he finishes in the top 10 in American League MVP voting in 2026, that option would convert into a mutual one. Until those contractual pieces are settled, he is not sitting there as a free agent the Yankees can simply chase.
There’s also a catch even if Houston were to turn down the option. According to MLB Trade Rumors’ option analysis, Paredes would still be eligible for arbitration rather than automatically hitting the open market.
That matters for New York because the Yankees’ third basemen didn’t come close to solving the position. In 2026, the group combined for a .215 average, a .271 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage. Ryan McMahon hit .213 with 11 homers and a .636 OPS, and New York owes him $16 million next season.
A deal for Paredes would be a separate issue from McMahon. The Yankees would still be on the hook for McMahon’s salary, and there is no existing McMahon-for-Paredes framework reported.
The performance gap is obvious, though. Paredes produced an .807 OPS in 2026, compared with roughly .629 from Yankees third basemen, a 178-point difference. His reported option number is also $2.65 million below McMahon’s 2027 figure, though that doesn’t account for what Houston would ask in return or the money New York would still owe McMahon.
Paredes also brings an offensive profile that can catch a front office’s eye. He’s a right-handed pull hitter, which naturally makes Yankee Stadium look tempting, but his production goes beyond park fit. He posted a 116 wRC+ in 2024 while with Tampa Bay and the Chicago Cubs before landing in Houston.
The glove is the tradeoff. Paredes was charged with minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved at third base in 2026, so any Yankees pursuit would be about adding offense first and asking questions about defense later.
Houston’s own situation makes the whole thing more complicated. Paredes took over regularly at third after Correa suffered an ankle injury in May, and Correa’s expected return in 2027 would put another proven bat back into the mix. With Pena at shortstop, Altuve at second and Walker at first, the Astros have plenty to sort through even before considering payroll and baseball operations.
There’s also a new layer at the top of the organization. Houston fired general manager Dana Brown in August and parted ways with manager Joe Espada after an 81-81 season that ended with a wild-card loss to the White Sox. Any decision on Paredes now has to fit whatever the next front office wants to build.
An October report citing The Athletic’s Chandler Rome identified Paredes and Walker as players who could be discussed in trades. That was an indicator of possible movement, not proof that Houston has already put Paredes on the market.
For the Yankees, the appeal is clear enough. They need better production at third, and Houston may have a hitter who can help. But as of Oct. 20, the Astros had not announced their option decision, and no trade involving Paredes and New York had been reported.
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