The Houston Astros have been down for a while this season. But as their recent snatch of the lead in the American League West shows, they are far from out.

The Astros have caught up to the Seattle Mariners in the standings. Still, they may not stack up very well with the Baltimore Orioles and the other powerhouses in the AL. They will have to make some trades, especially for at least one starting pitcher. But they have other needs they could address, too.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network said that the Astros are looking for options at first base, naming the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets' Pete Alonso as potential but unrealistic options. Then, he pointed to Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes, who has played first base in 11 games this season and 54 in the two prior seasons, as someone who fits Houston for a variety of reasons.

“I don’t think this name's really been out there but this is a potential fit for the Astros,” Heyman said. “He really works a number of levels for them. First of all, pull hitter. I mean, this is the most pull-hitter in baseball. Every single one of his 60-plus [career] home runs has been pulled…Also, he has three more years to go and he's really a third baseman. He's playing first but [he's a] third baseman. And you know as well as I do, it doesn’t appear they are very likely to be able to keep [Alex] Bregman.”

Isaac Paredes named potential trade fit for Astros 

Giving a slugger like Paredes the chance to hit home runs into the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park would instantly boost the Astros' offense. With Alex Bregman seemingly going to hit free agency and find a new home after nine seasons with Houston, the franchise will have to find someone else.

Not many options are better than the 25-year-old Paredes, who may cost a lot in a trade but is very good and still has his prime years ahead of him. The Rays have been rumored to be listening to trade offers on some of their biggest names, including Paredes and Randy Arozarena, but no movement is imminent from them.

The MLB trade deadline this season is on July 30. The Astros have plenty of opportunities to add talent until then. Getting someone like Paredes will not only make them more dangerous now but elongate their window of contention with guys like Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña and Yainer Diaz.