Red Sox Fan-Favorite Triston Casas In Limbo With Boston

Will the Boston Red Sox have a new first baseman in 2025?

That's a topic of conversation that has picked up steam throughout the offseason and is ongoing. The Red Sox pursued Pete Alonso, but missed out. Now, the Red Sox reportedly are interested in St. Louis Cardinals catcher-turned-first-baseman Willson Contreras. Also, the club has been linked to Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who is another guy who can play first base.

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But what about the guy the club currently has, Triston Casas? Casas is just 25 years old and at one point appeared to be the team's first baseman of the future. The 2018 first-round pick shot up the Red Sox's prospect rankings and made his big league debut in 2022. Known for his knowledge of the strike zone and big power, Casas is someone who has a bright future, but injuries over the last two seasons have slowed his momentum.

The Red Sox have a first baseman in Triston Casas

On Sunday, Red Sox insider Mac Cerullo was the Boston Herald was asked about Casas and gave an update on where things stand.

"It’s still not clear what we should expect out of Casas," Cerullo wrote. "Since last season ended Red Sox officials have said they believe Casas could be ready for spring training, but Craig Breslow notably didn’t commit to him as the club’s first baseman and earlier this week Alex Cora didn’t give a timetable when asked about him in an MLB Network interview. In that same interview Cora said Casas has been in Fort Myers all offseason and also that they’ve “got to get him healthy,” which obviously implies he’s not back to full strength just yet.

"Given the seriousness of his injury and his health track record in general dating back to his minor league days, the Red Sox are going to take things very carefully with Casas. My guess is when camp begins Casas will ramp up slowly and I’d be shocked if he appears in any games until at least midway through the Grapefruit League schedule. In the meantime, we will likely get another update next month when the team is back together in Boston for Fenway Fest. By that point, hopefully the team will have some clarity on what it can expect out of the young slugger."

Casas won't be a free agent until 2029. There's a world where the Red Sox bring someone in -- like maybe Murakami or Contreras -- but that doesn't close the door on Casas, and it shouldn't. The injuries have been rough over the last two seasons. But this is a guy who clubbed 24 homers and drove in 65 runs as a rookie in 2023. At just 25 years old, he still could be a long-term solution for Boston, but the club needs more power anyway.

Also, after the injuries, it wouldn't make sense to trade him now with his value low at the moment.

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