The Red Sox and the Mariners “had exploratory conversations” earlier this offseason with first baseman Triston Casas, but did not move forward, Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported monday
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They wrote: “The Red Sox requested one of the Mariners’ two youngest starting pitchers: Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. The Mariners are unwilling to trade either, and talks between the two teams have not progressed further.”
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow indicated earlier this offseason that trade rumors about Casas were off base.
“I’m not sure where that’s coming from. Casas is a guy we think has 40-homer potential.” Breslow said on November 5. “He’s young and also has great strike zone discipline and bat control. We’re excited to have him on our team.”
But The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported Saturday it’s the Red Sox open to the trade of Casas.
The Red Sox have interest in free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. In that scenario, it’s possible Boston could move Rafael Devers from third base to first base and trade Casas, though Breslow played down the possibility of moving Devers from third base on Monday. Bregman could also be an option at second base.
Casas finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. But he was limited to just 63 games in 2024 due to a rib cage injury. He struggled offensively when he returned from the 60-day IL. He finished with a .241/.337/.462/.800 line, 13 homers, eight doubles and 32 RBIs in 243 plate appearances.
Back in September, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletics proposed a scenario where the Red Sox sign Bregman to play third base, move Devers to first base and trade Casas for a starting pitcher. Rosenthal specifically mentioned sailors.
Seattle has some great starting pitching talent that it could use to improve its offense. He was 25th in the majors in slugging percentage (.376) and slugged just .404 from the first base position last year.