Proposed Houston Astros Trade Takes Advantage of Tampa Bay Rays Selling

The Houston Astros could be the next trade partner of the Tampa Bay Rays at the upcoming MLB deadline.

Jul 6, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes (17) adjusts his glove as he bats against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have put feelers out for first basemen around the league, but one may be more realistic as his current team just pulled off their first trade.

Isaac Paredes has been brought up as an ideal utility infielder for Houston, but mainly working at first base. If it wasn't clear that the Tampa Bay Rays were willing to ship off some players for prospects, they made it clear when they traded Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided put together an intriguing deal that would make both sides happy.

The Astros would receive Paredes in exchange for a prospect haul of outfielder Zach Cole, infielder Will Wagner and left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon.

Adding a first baseman of the future while keeping all of their most valuable prospects would be a massive win for Houston.

The Astros have gotten a slashing line of just .203/.273/.313 from that position this season. Moreso than any spot on the field, that is usually reserved for more reliable hitters. While they've been able to fight their way back into having a chance this season without one, having a solid bat at first base would make things much easier.

Paredes would be a great add. He's currently slashing .248/.351/.442 this year with 16 homers and 51 RBI.

The 25-year-old has experience at all four infield sports and can be at least solid at any of them, even if they eventually do find another option at first base.

He's under team control through the end of the 2027 season, making him a long-term flexible option for the next few seasons.

Over the past two campaigns, he's become a fairly consistent and reliable slugger at the plate. He bounced around between the majors and minors for a couple of seasons before finally finding his footing as a power-hitter. His consistency at getting on-base saw an increase last year and has continued for 2024. He also just recently made his first All-Star appearance.

The best prospect that Houston would be giving up in this deal would be Cole, fifth overall in the farm system.

He's a power-hitting outfield prospect with a cannon for an arm. He'd be nice to have around for the next few years but isn't that much of a sacrifice, at least for now.

Gordon is a southpaw that is also in the system's top-10. His most likely ceiling is as a buzzsaw for other lefties.

Wagner is a defensive-first infielder that is getting up in age for a prospect with no real future with the Astros.