For a third consecutive year, the Boston Red Sox are not playing postseason baseball in October. And because of that, changes could be coming to the clubhouse this offseason.
That includes potentially trading two young stars to help boost the Red Sox starting rotation and improve upon a lineup that needs some shaking up, especially since the big free-agent signings the team made in recent years haven’t panned out.
Boston signed Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million deal in 2022. Since then, he’s only played in 163 games total, and his tenure has been injury-marred.
The Red Sox inked starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million contract before the season. He didn’t pitch at all in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery.
They also gave Japanese baseball star Masataka Yoshida a five-year, $90 million contract in 2023, which he has yet to live up to.
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The Red Sox have a robust farm system and could see players like Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel coming up soon, which means some young stars could be on the move.
One of those players is first baseman Triston Casas, who only played in 63 games in 2024 due to torn rib cartiliage.
In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Casas says he would understand if the team moved on from him.
“I think that the team and the organization should continue to strive for a championship whether I’m in the plans or not,” Casas told The Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “I don’t know what the front office has in store for this offseason in terms of restructuring the roster to try to become a playoff team. I want to be a part of the plans to make that happen, but if not, and they want to seek an outside source for me to try to bolster the roster, that’s well within their ability.”
However, if Casas had his way, he would stay in Boston for the long run.
“Do I want it to be in Boston? Of course, because that’s all I know,” Casas said. “But if I’m moved on from, that’s fine. I understand why. There’s no need to explain much further than that.”
Despite being injured this year, Casas finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. That season, he had 24 home runs and an .856 OPS.
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Red Sox All-Star also in trade rumors
Separately, there have been rumors swirling around Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who was named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2024.
MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo said on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast that he wouldn’t be surprised if Duran is traded instead of Casas.
“My answer to that question would be to trade Duran instead of Casas if you have to trade one of them,” Cotillo explained, via SI.com. “Duran’s older. He’s probably hit his peak, so you can sell high. To me, Casas has not. He was a blue-chip prospect and has kind of passed every test. I think Red Sox fans underrate him.”
The Red Sox do have a glut of outfielders in Duran, Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu. Tyler O’Neill is also a free agent after hitting 31 home runs. And that’s not including the team’s top prospect in Roman Anthony, who is expected to make his debut next year.
Duran finished the season with an 8.7 WAR (wins above replacement), an .834 OPS, 129 OPS+, 21 home runs, 111 runs scored, 191 hits, and 34 stolen bases.
It will definitely be an interesting offseason in Boston as they look to improve on their third-place finish.
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