Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been adamant that the team is not actively shopping Triston Casas.
The slugging first baseman is a fan-favorite among much of Red Sox Nation and many would hate to see him go before the organization saw his best work. Yet, some of Boston's trade interests suggest Casas is not entirely safe from being moved elsewhere
The Red Sox desperately need to add right-handed offense to their lineup for 2025. They've been connected to plenty of free agent bats, but spending hasn't exactly been the team's M.O. in recent offseasons. Reports have stated that Breslow has been active in the trade market, even after his acquisition of Garrett Crochet, and Nolan Arenado is on Boston's radar.
John Denton of MLB.com has reported that the Red Sox have "emerged as a strong candidate to land Arenado," but that a deal would be contingent on how much of his $74 million contract the Cardinals are willing to eat. Arenado has said he'll waive his no-trade clause to play for Boston.
Despite Red Sox not shopping Triston Casas, the team's interest in Nolan Arenado could mean they move him anyway
The Cardinals hope to trade their third baseman to free up some payroll to get back into contention in the wide-open National League Central. Arenado would play at the hot corner for the Red Sox, where their defense has been lacking since Rafael Devers took over. Devers would either have to move to designated hitter, which would displace Masataka Yoshida, or to first base, which would force a move for Casas.
The Red Sox have more than enough payroll flexibility to avoid the trade market and hold onto Casas, but the team has become known for penny-pinching in recent years. Arenado's contract isn't cheap, but he'd cost less than Alex Bregman, which seems to be a priority for the team.
But trading Casas also comes at a cost. He missed nearly four months of last season with a rib injury and his trade value is low. Boston believes that, when healthy, he could have 30-40 homer potential, but other teams haven't seen that yet. One thing's for sure, though — trading Casas for Arenado would be unpopular, to say the least.