Red Sox CBO on Triston Casas trade rumors: ‘Nothing came remotely close’
The Red Sox have reportedly been looking at creative ways to improve their pitching depth this offseason, including the idea of trading Triston Casas. On Monday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters that the Casas rumors were valid, but they weren’t close to any particular trade.
During the month of December, reports from various outlets indicated the Red Sox had been willing to listen to trade talks involving Casas. On December 7, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported the club attempted to trade Casas in an effort to land a starter to pitch atop the rotation.
Last week, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the Sox were willing to package Casas and Yoshida to the Mariners for starting pitcher Luis Castillo before the club landed Garrett Crochet at the Winter Meetings.
Yoshida is owed $55.8 million over the next three years, which would have allowed Boston to dump his salary while freeing a roster spot to balance out their lineup better. The Red Sox balked at the idea of moving Casas unless Seattle took back Yoshida, who has been a disappointment since he signed with Boston.
“Boston remained in the market for another starter, with Seattle’s Luis Castillo among its targets, but according to sources, the Mariners wanted Triston Casas back in a trade, something the Red Sox were unwilling to do unless Seattle took back Masataka Yoshida, who has three years and $55.8 million remaining on his contract,” Feinsand wrote.
With the additions of Crochet and Walker Buehler, the Red Sox have revamped their starting rotation, and Breslow envisions Casas as being a big piece of the Red Sox roster in 2025.
“I’m not totally sure where it comes from,” Breslow said. “We’re not shopping, Triston. We see him as a guy that can hit in the middle of the lineup for a really long time here in Boston. Obviously, plus power, plus strike zone judgment, the ability to get on base, and it’s someone that I don’t think we’ve seen the best of. He obviously missed a number of months during the season. We’re really excited for him to be completely healthy. He’s had a full, healthy offseason.
“When you have really good young players, I don’t think it’s surprising that other teams would ask about them. But I’ve seen some of the speculation about what deals may or may not have existed or what may or may not have been proposed. And there was nothing that was remotely close. We’re certainly not shopping him.”
Casas has the potential to develop into a true middle of the order power hitter in the game but needs to stay healthy over the course of the regular season. The young slugger was plagued by a rib injury last season, slashing .241/.337/.462 line with 13 homers in 63 games. The slugger is a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat and could potentially become a 35-40 home run hitter.
Boston is in need of a right-handed hitter to replace Tyler O’Neill’s production. O’Neill signed with the Orioles earlier this month, essentially replacing Anthony Santander, who is also a free agent this winter. The Red Sox have also been connected to outfielder Randal Grichuk, but he is seen as more of a platoon player who could play right field and be a designated hitter against lefties, putting Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu on the bench.
