Red Sox Rumors: Forget trading Triston Casas for mediocrity
The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a languid offseason where they keep regressing rather than making strides toward a better future. After scrapping the best of his 2021 off-season moves last off-season, Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom is stuck in a rut.
The Red Sox keep losing or trading their best players and get nothing very exciting in return. While they have fortified their bullpen with veteran arms, that attribute won’t mean much if they can’t get a lead in the first place. Now there’s a rumor about the possible trade of prospect Triston Casas.
Casas is maybe the closest thing to a non-pitching prospect who may actually accomplish something in the system anytime soon. So now it’s being reported that the Sox may move him.
That figures. And they erroneously said Dave Dombrowski ruined, aka traded away the farm system and that contributed to his being fired. That’s baloney. All he did was build division winners and a World Series Champion.
The Boston Red Sox have lost their way
Mlbtraderumors.com reports the following about a possible trade with the Marlins,
"The Red Sox and Marlins have been discussing trade scenarios, with recent reporting indicating the Sox have have some interest in veteran infielders Joey Wendle and Miguel Rojas. It seems that they have also discussed a much more significant trade as well, with the Fish attempting to acquire young first baseman Triston Casas, per a report from Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald."
First, the “veteran” infielders can’t be a major inclusion in the trade for Casas. In fact, anything less than a bonafide top major league starting player or pitcher and this trade should be brushed aside like a mosquito at a picnic. It’s a lousy idea.
While trading prospects has been noted here makes perfect sense, when and only when you acquire an All-Star caliber younger starting player or pitcher, it doesn’t for bench-warmers or 4A players.
Chaim Bloom should be well-aware of this having been fleeced in the Mookie Betts deal where two of the three players were prospects who can’t play. That trade sets Mr. Bloom firmly in the queue of having made possibly the third-worst trade in Red Sox history. (The top two arguably were Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker back in the day).
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In addition, his trade of a solid power hitter and outfielder Hunter Renfroe was another flop that gleaned little. The return for this very good player was Jackie Bradley Jr. and his weak bat and two more prospects.
Boston Red Sox need a great return for Casas
Now, if the rumors of a trade for Casas (who’ll play first base, by the way if he’s traded?) who definitely should be given a long look at first, then who on the Marlins would warrant sending out the Sox number two prospect second only to fourth overall pick in 2021, Marcelo Mayer?
The only player seems to be starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. He’s 27 years old and had a nice 2022 season going 14-9 and logging a very nice 2.28 ERA over 227.2 innings.
Unless the Sox get Alcantara in the deal (they’ll have to pony up more than Casas certainly to get that done), then the suggestion here is to dismiss the deal out of hand.
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It’s time for the Boston Red Sox to cease and desist from being patsies in trades with more astute general management teams. Keep Casas, or, get a top star player or starting pitcher back in the deal or move on.
If you’re going to trade top prospects, do what the Dodgers and Brewers did with you, get an MVP-level or a very good ballplayer back. It’s not rocket science, just common sense.