Red Sox Face ‘Decision’ on Trading Triston Casas, ‘Now is the Time,’ Olney Says

Getty Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas

The Boston Red Sox cannot afford to wait longer than the current offseason to make a decision on the future of their polarizing young slugger Triston Casas, according to longtime baseball reporter Buster Olney. With one year left before Casas hits arbitration, trade value for Casas could fall off the table if he isn’t moved now, the ESPN MLB insider said on Thursday..

“It feels like this needs to be the winter where they make a decision on Triston Casas,” Olney said on Thursday’s ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast. “If they’re gonna move (Rafael Devers) to first base, now is the time to trade Casas because he’s had three of the last four years affected by injuries.”

Olney added that the trade value for Casas, who will turn 25 in January, will “drop precipitously” if he suffers another injury or otherwise has a “down year.”

Guerrero Jr. a Possible Trade Target?

Casas suffered torn cartilage in his ribcage on April 20, and did not return to the Red Sox lineup until August 16. He finished the season in Boston with just 212 at-bats over 63 games. Casas belted 13 home runs in that limited action, however, and posted an OPS of .800 for the Red Sox.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has denied that Boston is even entertaining the thought of trading Casas, saying he was “not sure where that’s coming from,” referring to rumors that Casas is on the block

Also on Thursday Lou Merloni, former Red Sox player and current TV and radio analyst on the team’s broadcasts, said that he endorsed a trade of Casas to the Toronto Blue Jays for four-time All Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Both Casas and Guerrero are first basemen.

Speaking on the Section 10 podcast, Merloni said he would “laugh at” anyone opposed to a Casas-Guerrero trade. But he also said that the trade would have to conditioned on the Red Sox signing Guerrero to a contract extension. Guerrero will play the 2025 season on a one-year, $28 million deal with Toronto. He becomes a free agent going into 2026.

Baseball experts estimate that Guerrero will be in the market for a contract worth about $260 million over 10 years.

Casas Extension Could be a Bargain

Casas is still playing under his rookie contract with the Red Sox, and will play next season for a salary of just $800,000. Heading into 2026, Casas will be eligible for arbitration. But if the Red Sox do not trade Casas, they could sign him to a contract extension at what would be a relative bargain. An analysis by The Athletic estimated that an extension for Casas would run seven years for a total of $77 million.

Even without an extension, Casas remains under team control through the 2028 season, which could make him an attractive trade target for any suitor, as opposed to Guerrero who would in effect be a one-year rental for any team that acquires him without a contract extension attached.

Casas has been a divisive figure among Red Sox fans, mainly due to his eccentric personality and game preparation rituals, which have included shirtless sunbathing on the field and pre-game naps in the clubhouse. His habits reportedly annoyed some veteran Red Sox players when Casas made his debut in 2022 and though he has since toned down some of his behavior, he continues to march to his own drummer.