Red Sox discussed Triston Casas with AL West club; team 'disinclined' to trade young pitching assets
The Red Sox have explored trading Triston Casas this offseason in their ongoing quest to improve their starting pitching depth. It was reported by the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that Boston offered Casas in a deal to an unnamed American League team.
According to Seattle Times Mariners beat writers Ryan Divish and Adam Jude, the Red Sox and Mariners had exploratory trade talks involving Casas.
“The Red Sox asked for one of the Mariners’ two youngest starting pitchers—Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. The Mariners are disinclined to trade either one of them, and talks between the two teams didn’t progress any further.”
There was no mention of George Kirby or Logan Gilbert in the report.
Seattle matches up well as a potential dance partner for the Red Sox. The Mariners are looking for a first baseman and have been linked to both Carlos Santana and Justin Turner, according to the Seattle Times report. It seems like by all accounts, the Mariners prefer to keep their young hurlers and will entertain the idea of moving Luis Castillo.
The All-Star hurler went 11-12 this past season with a 3.64 ERA while striking out 175 batters in 175 1/3 innings. Castillo not only eats innings, but he’s been very reliable since joining the Mariners, making 30 starts or more in each of his two full seasons in Emerald City.
If the M’s were to entertain moving Castillo, it’s not known if the Red Sox have an appetite for trading Casas for the veteran starter. Boston is flush with prospect capital and could dip into the cupboards to complete a deal. One potential hurdle in a Castillo trade is that the 31-year-old owns a no-trade clause in his contract, allowing him to nix a deal to the Red Sox.
Casas 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 40 home run hitter. Boston’s need for an ace may outweigh the potential of Casas.
While at the WooSox Holiday Gala over the weekend, Casas was asked about the trade rumors, but the 24-year-old downplayed the idea of being moved.
“I haven’t given it much thought at all. I’m getting ready to take my at-bat to whatever state or city it may be in,” said Casas at the WooSox Holiday Gala on Saturday night. “Hopefully it’s for the Boston Red Sox, but if not, I feel like I can bring value to any team that would need a first baseman. I want to stay in Boston for a really long time. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but wherever it may be, I’ll fit in just fine.”
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged at the Winter Meetings that acquiring a No. 1 starter type is going to be difficult. That if Boston can’t land a legit ace, they can identify a pitcher with a ceiling to achieve that status.
Red Sox' Triston Casas finding his groove again after rib injury; 'likes' where he's at physically
“You take that on a case-by-case basis,” said Breslow to reporters on Monday afternoon. “If you’re always trading for the bona fide ace, the guy who has established himself, then it’s going to take a pretty significant dent out of your future. One thing baseball front offices have become pretty good at is recognizing the underlying stats and metrics, especially in pitching—pitch data and performance data—and being able to project who is likely to become a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.
“Our goal is to create this internal development pipeline that we can complement via free agency or trade so that we have this constant, replenished talent that enables us to not just be successful in 2025 and 2026, but for a five-to-seven-year run.”
Boston is linked to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, who are the top two starters remaining on the market. They could pivot and pull off a deal with the White Sox for Garrett Crochet, but as of the Winter Meetings, the Red Sox were more on the outskirts of negotiations for the southpaw.
