A flurry of trade rumors has followed Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas for much of the offseason.
Casas has remained characteristically optimistic about the speculation. He said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told him he isn't going anywhere (in different words,) and fans have heard the same from the front office.
But as the offseason goes on, Breslow's assertions that Casas isn't on the trade block seem increasingly hollow. Much of Red Sox Nation has responded poorly to the idea of trading Casas, but according to multiple sources, he remains available to interested suitors, contrary to Breslow's statements.
On the Jan. 13 installment of the "Fenway Rundown" podcast hosted by Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive, the latter calls Breslow out for his approach to the Casas rumors. He referenced "Seinfeld" to get his point across.
"This reminds me of George [Costanza] taking the in-laws out to the easternmost tip of Long Island to show them his beach house that doesn't exist. . . he keeps buying in to the bit full-time until he has to admit he's been making it up," McAdam said. "That's how I see Craig Breslow operating here. . ."
Red Sox insiders discuss the inconsistencies in Triston Casas rumors on Fenway Rundown podcast
The old Triston Casas/George Costanza comp on a Fenway Fest wrap edition of @FenwayRundown today with @Sean_McAdam:https://t.co/dkiQlvhfDi pic.twitter.com/KcZsfoG1jl
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 13, 2025
This offseason, it has already been reported that the Red Sox attempted to trade Casas to the Mariners for a pitcher and multiple rumors have surfaced that he could've been part of a potential trade package to net Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals or to the Marlins to secure Sandy Alcántara. Neither the Cardinals nor Marlins rumors have been confirmed by reliable sources — Miami Herald beat writer Craig Mish said Alcántara will not be traded before Opening Day — but trade smoke doesn't often arise without a reason.
Trading Casas is an overwhelmingly unpopular idea and Red Sox fans aren't exactly known for their kindness or level-headedness when it comes to the team, but the repeated dishonesty about the organization's plans for the first baseman is puzzling. Maybe "dishonesty" isn't the right word; Breslow said the Red Sox are "not shopping" Casas, which could mean they're not actively searching for a trade suitor for him, but they would be willing to ship him elsewhere as part of a larger package. Semantics aside, it does not seem like a trade involving Casas is out of the question, despite what Breslow may want people to believe.
If the Red Sox end up trading Casas this winter after Breslow's many assertions that they're not shopping him, they'll have a lot of explaining to do — more than they would if they were upfront about their plans from the jump.