If there's one thing Chiam Bloom deserves credit for during his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, it's bringing Boston's farm system back to life.
In wake of Dave Dombrowski's stint as Boston's chief baseball officer, its feeder team needed help. Bloom delivered, and some of his young acquisitions have already made their mark in the majors.
The Red Sox's front office has been proud of its farm system of late, and it shows with their hesitance to trade future talent. The best way to show pride in the farm, though, would be to extend deserving players. That would secure the core the organization believes is next in line to succeed, and would satisfy fans as a way of spending money (since the team isn't going to chase high-profile free agents).
Chief among those deserving players are first baseman Triston Casas and starting pitcher Brayan Bello. Both had standout years for the Sox in 2023 and their accomplishments are more than worthy of a future contract talks.
The Red Sox could benefit from a Braves-esque approach — sign young, homegrown talent to a team-friendly deal early. If the players don't pan out, it's a small sunk cost. Considering the team is still in hot water after the Mookie Betts trade, ownership should handle extensions seriously and swiftly.
Extending Triston Casas and Brayan Bello would be a great way for the Red Sox to salvage another disappointing offseason
After a less-than-ideal start to his 2023 campaign, Casas changed his fortunes after the All-Star break. In just three months, he turned himself into a serious candidate for American League Rookie of the Year, which was no small task considering his competition of Gunnar Henderson and Tanner Bibee.
At the beginning of his turnaround, Casas secured himself AL Rookie of the Month honors for July. He finished his first full big-league season batting .263 after knocking 113 hits, 24 homers and 65 RBI. Casas also logged a .397 OBP, good for ninth in the AL. Not bad for a 23-year-old.
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— Triston Casas (@mvptc37) January 16, 2024
Youngest opening day first base man for the Red Sox since 1967
Joined Ted Williams as the only Red Sox to record at least 25 HR and 75 walks in first 140 career games
3rd rookie to lead team in ops in franchise history (Lynn ‘75, Fisk ‘72)
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Bello also had an impressive 2023 slate. He made 28 starts for the Sox and dominated in Boston's yellow uniforms in particular. Bello is a ground-ball pitcher, which is ideal for Fenway Park's dimensions. He logged 157 innings, a 4.24 ERA and 132 strikeouts on the season — a fine performance for Bello's first full campaign of major league ball.
He and the Red Sox have expressed mutual interest in getting an extension signed, but Bello does not want to negotiate during the season.
Casas has also stated he's interested in signing an extension with the Sox, to the point that he said he'd "love to spend whole career here in Boston" to Sports Illustrated.
If the Red Sox are so proud of their farm system and are committed to investing in the team's future, they should put up or shut up. Signing Bello and Casas would be a great way to save fans from a completely disappointing 2023-24 offseason and would provide a reason to look forward to the future.