The Boston Red Sox have quite an intriguing offseason ahead of them. They were a talented team in 2024, but they just weren't good enough to compete in the AL East, plain and simple. The Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees were juggernauts this season and that looks to carry over into next year as well. The Toronto Blue Jays plan to be aggressive in free agency and in trades.
Boston has to keep up, whether it's bringing in some solid free agents or shaking things up via trade. They can't afford to sit by and assume that an increasingly loaded farm system is going to be enough to help them win the East. With the current state of the division, that's just not possible.
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Red Sox insider Ian Browne of MLB.com recently touched on what he thought Boston could do in the offseason, specifically speaking on potential trades.
"First baseman Triston Casas could be the one core player from the Major League roster the Red Sox would consider trading. He is left-handed like many of Boston’s best hitters," Browne wrote.
Trading Casas could make sense. He's a left-handed bat and the Red Sox desperately need to add more right-handed hitters to the roster, and the young first baseman is one of the few movable pieces of the everyday lineup. But Browne's idea didn't there.
"Also, moving Casas could give Boston the flexibility to move Rafael Devers off third base. Improving their infield defense is another top priority. If Casas was traded and Devers moved to first or DH, the Sox could sign someone like Alex Bregman to play third."
While Devers is an incredible player, he is a pretty bad fielder. He ranks well below the league average in arm strength, sprint speed, FRV and OAA, which all indicate that he isn't going to improve at the hot corner anytime soon — especially as he ages. Bregman, meanwhile, has been among the best third baseman in the league for years.
Making this move would make the Red Sox better, both offensively and defensively, while also helping to even out the lineup. Boston would also preusmably be able to pick up some more young talent in return for Casas. It makes sense.
But can Boston pull it off?
