Red Sox's Triston Casas Handles Missing Big Payday Better Than Most

The Boston Red Sox slugger was one of the team's top extension candidates at one point.

Apr 22, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first base Triston Casas (36) hits a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have done a very good job under Craig Breslow in getting early contract extensions done. It's easy to have recency bias, but the most prominent and arguably the best was the club getting an extension done with Roman Anthony last season.

Anthony looks like the real deal and if he can live up to his lofty potential, the Red Sox are going to save a lot of money in the long run. That's how Boston has operated, but everyone who has been in extension rumors hasn't gotten deals done. For example, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was seemingly a perfect candidate for a long-term deal after his explosive rookie season in 2023. On Wednesday, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo shared a fascinating column about the young slugger, and one thing that stood out was Casas' honest take on the past extension talks.

The Red Sox slugger opened up

Apr 29, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (36) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

"I don’t have any regrets about the way that I handled the situation,” Casas said to Cotillo. “In the moments that I was not agreeing to anything long-term, I felt like I could take the field and post an .850 OPS rolling out of bed. I was just that confident, and I still think I am that type of player. I didn’t think that ’23 reflected my best baseball, and it was still great. Now, I feel like my best baseball is still ahead of me.”

If Casas had inked a long-term extension at the time, he would've been in line for significantly more money than he is right now. But, it doesn't sound like it's impacting his confidence, which hopefully will get him back on the field and in position for a big contract again.

Casas has had some really bad luck in Boston. This is a guy who hit 24 homers and drove in 65 runs in 2023 and looked like a budding star, but then suffered two freak injuries. He tore cartilage in his rib cage in 2024 and then ruptured his left patellar tendon in 2025. Not injuries you see all the time in Major League Baseball.

He's just 26 years old. It would be easy to get caught up in the missed opportunity in the wake of the injuries, but he sounds like someone ready to change the narrative the next time he's able to get on the field. His path to playing time is murky, but the future is bright.