The Boston Red Sox are not easing into the winter this time – they are chasing real offence. And that search might have led them to an unexpected place: Houston! And all for their $6.625 million infielder, Issac Paredes.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Boston has already been in talks with the Astros about the two-time All-Star. And if you look closely, the pitch is intriguing. If Boston manages to get back Alex Bregman, who is their no. 1 priority, then Paredes could work well as a first baseman.

He turns 27 in February and owns a career 115 OPS+, and has consistently put up around three WAR per season. He is an extreme pull hitter, and that’s something that can go both ways in Fenway, but his .777 OPS in the ballpark shows that he can handle it.

Also, he has two seasons of club control still, so he fits Boston’s boxes completely. But of course, even this creative move comes with a cost!

Apparently, the Houston Astros are looking for left-handed starters, so Boston might have to give up Payton Tolle or Connelly Early – and that’s steep. For sure, this won’t be a no-doubt decision, as Boston will have to calculate the risks.

That brings us to the obvious question – why chase a first baseman at all? Which leads to Triston Cases. 

Once he was considered a long-term answer for the position, but he has spent the last two seasons fighting injuries and then breaking out with numbers. He hit just .182 in 29 games before a season-ending knee injury in May. The year before, too, he fractured his rib, and that limited him to 63 games. But here is the thing: he still has Breslow’s support, or rather sympathy, in some ways.

After all, Breslow said this: “He’s definitely a factor, again, because we still feel like he’s got in that ceiling, and we just haven’t seen it. But I don’t think it’s a talent problem. I think it’s just a matter of making sure that he comes into spring training healthy.”

The ripple effects of this could, though, lead Boston to look further in the outfield and cut corners there. One name that’s popping up is Jarren Duran and how he will most likely be traded. Jeff Passan, in fact, reported that there is a 50% chance that Boston moves him this winter. And honestly, it’s not all on Duran, but rather the logjam that has happened that can lead him out of Boston.

Roman Anthony has come aboard, and Wilyer Abreu has back-to-back Gold Gloves. Boston simply has more outfielders than spots. This surplus could be a massive weapon for Boston, and Durran simply might be on the chopping block. And sure, Kansas is one place that’s said to be the best fit for Duran, but now LA makes more sense.

The most natural landing spot for Jarren Duran

With Boston wanting to dangle the trade bait with Duran, one team suddenly seems to be most interested–the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, LA has apparently opened the door to moving Teoscar Hernandez, and that’s what has connected them to Boston. He is coming off a down year, and his defense took a hit, so sure, this can be a problem in a roster where Ohtani blocks him from sliding to DH. Given $33 million is still owed to him over the next two seasons, the Dodgers seem motivated to move him.

But only if they get an outfielder back, and this is where Jarren Duran enters the picture.

Plus, Duran simply fits the Dodgers’ interest. He is an athletic outfielder under team control through 2029 and someone who posted an .829 OPS over the last few seasons. So, exactly the kind of profile the Dodgers would love to get. Also, pairing Duran with Andy Pages gives LA a fast, athletic outfield, not to mention it also takes much of the pressure off Mookie Betts, who improved in the infield last winter. LA wouldn’t want him to go to right field full-time and undo that progress.

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Then there might be a pitching twist to this, and the idea could be surrounding LA’s young starter Emmet Sheehan. Given the Dodgers’ rotation depth, he is rather expendable, and Boston needs pitching help as much as infield balance, so getting an arm in exchange for clearing their outfield logjam makes complete sense.

If Boston decides to move Duran, then for sure, LA is one place he could end up in!