With Triston Casas going down with a season-ending knee injury in May, the Boston Red Sox have scrambled to fill first base. After Rafael Devers vehemently refused to play there and was subsequently traded, they have rotated through Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez. They even considered having rookie Kristian Campbell play first before demoting him.
Even though the Red Sox are in fourth place in the American League East with a 39-37 record heading into Friday night’s game against Devers and the San Francisco Giants, they are tied for the last AL Wild Card spot and still have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.
With Devers gone and Alex Bregman currently on the injured list with a strained right quad, the Red Sox need a bat. That’s why The Athletic’s MLB insider Jim Bowden, former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, proposes Boston trade for Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, a former Silver Slugger winner.
“Last year he slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs while playing plus defense at first base. This year with the Rangers, he’s hitting just .227 but has 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBIs in 75 games,” Bowden notes. “He’d be an upgrade for the Sox, who would control him through 2026. Lowe would be a solid placeholder until prospect James Tibbs III, acquired in the Devers trade, is ready for the majors.”
Bowden would have left-handed pitching prospect Payton Tolle go back to Washington in the deal. Tolle, a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has a 3.92 ERA across 10 games (nine starts), including 70 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.
MLB.com ranks Tolle as Boston’s 15th-ranked prospect.
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