The Boston Red Sox are interested in Isaac Paredes, with the Pittsburgh Pirates also entering the competition.

Having been unsuccessful in securing infielders all offseason, the Boston Red Sox are said to remain keen on acquiring Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes via trade, with the Pittsburgh Pirates also competing, even though Houston has expressed no desire to move him.

Following Alex Bregman’s departure as a free agent, the Red Sox have been eager to add a starting infielder. After reports surfaced about a one-year $6 million deal with Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, MassLive’s Sean McAdam revealed that the Red Sox still hope to bring in another infielder, potentially through a trade involving prospects for immediate impact players.

Paredes was already rumored to be the Red Sox’s target; last season, he posted a wRC+ of 128 with 20 home runs. However, after an injury mid-season and Houston reacquiring Carlos Correa, the Astros now have six players—Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Correa, and Paredes—competing for four infield spots and the designated hitter role, with Paredes considered the most likely trade candidate.

Although Astros GM Dana Brown has repeatedly expressed satisfaction with their current infield and no intention to trade Paredes, numerous trade rumors persist. Reporters Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic have noted that five teams, including the Red Sox and Pirates, are currently in discussions with Houston about trading for Paredes.

On the 5th, the Red Sox were reported to have reached an agreement with Kiner-Falefa, but no official signing has been announced yet. It was previously speculated that a 40-man roster spot would be cleared by designating Jung Jong-cheol for assignment. However, the Red Sox might wait until the catchers’ injured list reporting day on the 11th to finalize the signing, at which point they can place Tanner Houck—who underwent elbow ligament reconstruction last August—on the 60-day injured list, freeing a 40-man roster spot without needing to designate another player for assignment.