How can we kill the Triston Casas commerce rumors? Push them off a cliff? Tempt them with a poison apple? Rent a type of guys from Michael Clayton and make it appear like an accident?* Somebody please do one thing!
(*RIP Tom Wilkinson, might heaven offer you a endless provide of recent baguettes.)
Whereas Craig Breslow mentioned on the file — simply final week! — that the Sox should not buying Casas, MassLive reports today that “there stays a perception within the trade that the Red Sox stay open to buying and selling Casas, probably for younger pitching, to facilitate different roster maneuvering.”
On one hand, that language is so wishy-washy that it presents a slip-and-fall hazard. I imply, shit, there “stays a perception” round my home that we’ll sooner or later get the children’ bedtime routine to beneath an hour — however completely nobody is betting on that occuring earlier than the subsequent Olympics.
However however, we are able to’t deny that the Pink Sox clearly are at the very least considering a change at third base which, ought to one come to fruition, would ship dominos falling throughout the infield. The Sox have been engaged in talks with free agent Alex Bregman, with Alex Cora himself fueling a number of the hypothesis by repeatedly praising the third baseman and suggesting he may even play second for the Pink Sox. And now we’re hearing that, not solely is Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado prepared to just accept a commerce to Boston, however that that he’s actively pushing for one.
I received’t deny that there are believable arguments that both Bregman or Arendado may enhance the Boston Pink Sox: each would stability the lineup by including a right-handed bat, each would offer veteran management on a group with an rising younger core, each would add excellent protection to an infield that, at instances final season, acted as if the baseball was tainted by hen flu. And it’s true that Casas may web an honest younger arm in return. However these commerce situations — most of which ponder buying and selling Casas for pitching to be able to open up first base for Devers and third base for Bregman or Arenado — appear needlessly baroque.
First base, as presently manned by Triston Casas, is solely not an space of want — he’s a younger, enjoyable, and low-cost participant able to hitting 40 residence runs if he stays wholesome. That’s a participant you need in your group! Don’t contact first base!
The truth is, there actually aren’t many corners of the roster that current obtrusive areas of want. The beginning workers, although one large arm quick in my view, is presently projected to be the fifth-best rotation in baseball per FanGraphs, whereas the bullpen is projected to be the second-best. The outfield, by crowded, is excellent, with the potential to get even higher with the event of Roman Anthony. And whereas the lineup had one too many blackholes final 12 months because of sub-par performances at second base, shortstop, and catcher, the Pink Sox nonetheless put up the ninth greatest OPS+ in baseball in 2024. And with Trevor Story, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and Vaughn Grissom all trying wholesome as we method spring coaching, there’s loads of potential for these blackholes to be crammed fairly properly.
Fixing the Pink Sox this offseason shouldn’t have been an advanced proposition: add two prime of the rotation starters, add a high-leverage arm to the bullpen, add right-handed energy to the lineup. These had been straight-forward issues that might have been addressed with a straight-forward answer: pay the market charge for good baseball gamers.
However the Pink Sox’ clearly have an institutional concern of free company. They had been unwilling to increase themselves for any of the highest pitchers in the marketplace, forcing them to commerce from their prospect depth, gamble on a reclamation challenge, and now, dangle the perfect homegrown power-hitter they’ve produced in years to attempt to enhance the rotation. They selected to neither resign Tyler O’Neil, nor to even think about free agent replacements like Teoscar Hernandez or Pete Alonso. There are solely three avenues so as to add premium expertise to a giant league roster — develop it, commerce for it, or give it the cash it’s price — and the Pink Sox have successfully closed off a type of avenues.
So that is what we’re left with. The Pink Sox are so afraid to easily pay baseball gamers what they’re price that they’re prepared to explode the whole infield in pursuit of some defensive upgrades and a mid-rotation starter. It’s a Rube Goldberg machine of a commerce state of affairs that might ship out among the best younger gamers within the league for — in the perfect case state of affairs — a marginal short-term improve general.
Don’t do it! Simply don’t! The dangers of this rumored commerce are too nice, whereas the potential rewards are too paltry. It seems that the Pink Sox are, as soon as once more, so targeted on being the neatest group within the room that they’ve forgotten one thing primary: they’re already one of many richest groups within the room, and that ain’t nothing.
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