Twins Video
When the Detroit Tigers acquired Austin Meadows from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, they sent Isaac Paredes and a draft pick in return. About to play 2024 as a 25-year-old, Paredes has been mentioned among the many players Tampa Bay has made available. The Rays have continuously operated by moving assets before they get too expensive, and Paredes reached arbitration in 2024 as a Super 2 candidate.
Over at Twins Daily’s sister site for the Chicago Cubs, Matthew Trueblood did an excellent job breaking down what makes Paredes work as a player. There is more than enough information to understand the appeal in a piece filled with visuals. However, where and how he fits for the Twins makes his name interesting.
As a right-handed hitter, Paredes and his pull-focused profile align well with Target Field. Last season, he yanked pitches to the pull side 54.5 percent of the time. To put that into perspective, former Twins second baseman Brian Dozier pulled the ball 60 percent of the time in 2015 as a first-time All-Star who launched 28 homers. He did so 56 percent of the time in 2016, when he launched a ridiculous 42 homers. Getting around on the ball is something that Paredes does very well. Not many teams love pulling the baseball like Minnesota, and last year the Twins were fourth in baseball when it comes to yanking pitches. Philosophically, the organization is clearly rooted in driving the ball to the power side. If that's going to remain the case, finding players who already do so is a good idea.
The Rays infielder also has strong discipline skills that could boost Minnesota’s lineup. He struck out at around an 18% clip the past two seasons, and his 10% walk rate is also strong. For a Twins lineup that lacked balance between contact and power, along with missing a big right-handed bat, Paredes checks lots of boxes.
Where Paredes plays can also be something of interest for Minnesota. He primarily handled the hot corner for Tampa Bay last year, which would put Royce Lewis back into a situation of flux defensively, but he also contributed at first base. The Twins were against playing Lewis in center field last season, but another offseason of work and roster shuffling could ease those reins. If not, Paredes as the first baseman (pairing with a healthy Alex Kirilloff, if such a creature still exists) works, too. Assuming Byron Buxton isn’t the primary designated hitter again, cycling Paredes through additional starts on bat-only days has appeal.
Donovan Solano and Willi Castro both played substantially beneficial innings for the Twins last year. The latter is back on an arbitration deal, but the former became a free agent. Rather than looking to catch lightning in a bottle twice as Solano ages, Paredes represents a significant upgrade on what Solano did. The former Silver Slugger winner contributed at three infield positions while acting as the floating right-handed bat, and that's exactly what Paredes can do as well.
Even with Steamer projections suggesting a slight decline in output for 2024, a 3.6 fWAR would have led all Minnesota’s position players a year ago. Replacing the value lost from Sonny Gray or Kenta Maeda doesn’t necessarily have to come from the rotation, and adding high-quality position players could put Minnesota in situations with better opportunities to capitalize offensively. Paredes doesn't strike out much, and that is something the Twins struggled with substantially last year. By raising the water level of their lineup, departing production on the pitching side can be mitigated through additional run production.
Just because Tampa may be open to moving pieces like Paredes, that doesn’t mean they’ll want to give assets away. At a projected $3.2-million arbitration-fixed salary for 2024, Paredes is hardly a bank-breaker like, for instance, Tyler Glasnow. Even for a Rays team that looks to keep payroll down, Paredes isn’t prohibitively expensive, and it shouldn’t be seen as a hurdle for Minnesota, either. Paredes has four years of team control remaining, which will fix an awfully high price tag. The Twins must part with an actual prospect package to force the Rays into considering anything.
Rhys Hoskins remains among the biggest names on the open market when looking at Minnesota's openings and focusing on the right-handed bats. Paredes can do more defensively, though, and presents a substantially lesser price tag in terms of immediate dollars. A name like this could make a lot of sense for a franchise, noting that their TV uncertainty has provided financial constraints.
What do you think about Isaac Paredes as a trade candidate for the Twins? Who would you be willing to give up?
Follow Twins Daily For Minnesota Twins News & Analysis
- Oldgoat_MN and nclahammer
-
2
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now