Does Isaac Paredes' ‘pretty significant' hamstring injury change Astros' deadline plans?

New York Times

5 days ago

PHOENIX — On Saturday night in Seattle, the Houston Astros' sole source of offensive continuity could not finish a run to first base. All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes pulled up lame, grabbed his right hamstring and displayed the sort of limp that portended a serious ailment.
'This is a pretty significant injury,' manager Joe Espada confirmed Tuesday afternoon. 'We are waiting on some results, but it's definitely something that's going to keep him out for a while.'
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Paredes' official diagnosis is a right hamstring strain. An exact timeline for his return is not known, but expecting him back in the near future is foolish. Asked on Tuesday if there is a possibility Paredes won't return this season, Espada replied, 'We don't know yet, but I know it's something that's going to take some time.'
Delivering grim news has become a soundtrack of this star-crossed season. No major-league team has more injured position players than Houston. Five of the nine hitters from the Opening Day lineup are on the injured list, part of a 17-man MASH unit that will force action at the July 31 trade deadline.
Joe Espada called Isaac Paredes' hamstring strain 'a pretty significant injury.' They're still waiting on some final tests, but Paredes is going to be out a while.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 22, 2025
Club officials have spent the past few weeks pondering their biggest priority. A farm system without any top-end talent will make acquiring multiple players difficult. Injuries are also making it dangerous to trade the few healthy players remaining on the major-league roster.
Pursuing pitching help — either an established starter or a right-handed leverage reliever — once appeared Houston's most pressing need. Paredes' injury has increased the likelihood of adding at least one bat, according to multiple team sources, though the fact that Houston is in the market for one is not a surprise.
General manager Dana Brown has reiterated his desire for a left-handed hitter for the past two months. He's also fond of repeating a favorite axiom: 'You can never have enough pitching.'
Addressing both areas is the most logical answer. Perhaps Brown can pull it off, but the lack of impact talent in his farm system will put him at a disadvantage in most bidding wars with other buyers. A slew of teams still deciding whether to sell has created a slow-developing market, though conversations are occurring.
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Whether owner Jim Crane will authorize crossing the luxury tax for a second consecutive year must also be considered, especially if Houston is pursuing multiple acquisitions.
Past trade deadlines have proven Crane can be aggressive when his club has a legitimate chance at a championship. According to FanGraphs, this Astros team awoke Tuesday with 7.3 percent odds to win the World Series. Only two American League clubs had better odds.
However, no precedent exists for Houston's payroll situation. Last season, the club exceeded the luxury tax and paid penalties for the first time during Crane's ownership tenure. It is unclear if he's amenable to doing so again. According to Cot's Contracts, the Astros are $2,048,672 under the first luxury tax threshold.
Payroll must be monitored, but progress from the team's four injured starting pitchers may play a more critical role. Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia and J.P. France are all scheduled to appear for Double-A Corpus Christi this week, according to the team. Cristian Javier will make a start for Triple-A Sugar Land.
An August return for all four pitchers feels feasible, presuming they avoid any setbacks. Just activating them will aid an injury-ravaged staff, but Brown and his lieutenants must weigh how effective they'll be after such long layoffs. Garcia hasn't pitched in a major-league game in 26 months. Both France and Javier have missed more than 13 months.
Insuring themselves by acquiring another starter is a sensible plan. So is adding another leverage reliever to shorten games and lessen the pressure on Houston's top-heavy starting rotation. Bear in mind, the club is 30-31 in games not started by Hunter Brown or Framber Valdez.
Reinforcements are also looming for the Astros' lineup, but it is far more difficult to forecast when they'll arrive. Their substitute-laden lineup has held its own in the absence of notable names, defying logic while growing a lead atop the American League West.
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The Astros are averaging 4.7 runs with a .761 OPS in the 69 games since slugger Yordan Alvarez last took an at-bat. Shortstop Jeremy Peña fractured his left rib on June 27. Houston averaged 5.5 runs across the next 18 games, albeit with Paredes atop the batting order.
According to both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs' calculations of wins above replacement, Paredes is Houston's second-most valuable position player behind Peña. Replacing that on the trade market is impossible, but the Astros wouldn't attempt to do that.
Finding a left-handed hitter who can play anywhere on the infield is an obvious priority. The Tampa Bay Rays do not seem inclined to move second baseman Brandon Lowe, who landed on the injured list Tuesday with a left foot injury.
Colorado's Ryan McMahon is an ideal fit for the Astros, but his $12 million salary calls into question whether Crane would cross the luxury tax. If the New York Mets dangle Brett Baty, he fits the mold. So does Baltimore's All-Star designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn or Minnesota's switch hitting utilityman Willi Castro.
Acquiring any of them would raise the floor of Houston's depleted offense, but none would supply the jolt of Alvarez, Peña or Paredes returning at full strength.
Whether that will happen is a mystery, making the next nine days a far more fascinating time.