The Boston Red Sox saw their free agent dream target for next offseason come off the board when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agreed to a massive contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday night. The 15-year, $500 million extension may be bad news for Red Sox fans who preemptively bought a No. 27 jersey in anticipation of the superstar’s arrival in Boston but it has a silver lining for those on the team.
One of those players was heavily mentioned in trade rumors last offseason, and Guerrero’s contract is good news as he looks to shake off an early season slump and force his way into the Red Sox’ long-term plans.
Triston Casas Becomes Big Winner After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extension
Triston Casas has had a regular spot in the lineup over the past three seasons. But Guerrero’s extension may clear his path to being the Red Sox first baseman of the future. Casas has put up strong numbers over his three-plus seasons in Boston, hitting .246/.351/.465 with 43 home runs and 111 RBI in 232 games but the past two seasons have come with adversity that put his future in doubt.
Casas started his career on a good note after making his major league debut in 2022. Over his first two seasons, Casas hit .253/.365/.477 with 29 home runs and 77 RBI in 159 games and looked like a player that was cemented into the Red Sox’ long-term plans.
But the struggles began when the 24-year-old suffered torn cartilage in his rib cage last April. Casas missed two months with the injury and aggravated the issue in his initial game back, causing another setback that lasted another two months. Casas admitted after the season he was playing through pain and it showed at the plate, hitting .242/.333/.439 with seven homers and 22 RBI in his final 40 games.
The finish made Casas a popular trade target during the offseason. A late December report by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand stated that the Red Sox offered Casas along with Masataka Yoshida in an effort to acquire Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners but the deal fell through when Seattle wouldn’t absorb the final three years and $55.8 million remaining on Yoshida’s contract.
The report also prompted Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer to tell reporters that he wasn’t shopping Casas and contract extensions began in the months leading up to Spring Training. While Boston has already struck long-term deals with players in a similar position including Brayan Bello (six years, $55 million), Ceddanne Rafaela (eight-year, $50 million) and Kristian Campbell (eight years, $60 million), they couldn’t come to terms with Casas, who opened a vein regarding his negotiations last month.
“My team, my agency, didn’t seem to think that the dollar amount the Red Sox put forward was the value that [the agents] see in me as a player,” Casas told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
Breslow also expressed doubt over an extension happening sometime this year but Casas may have to earn it by performing on the field. The Miami native hit just .195 during Spring Training and stumbled out of the gate, hitting .211/.306/.516 with a home run and a pair of RBI in his first 10 games. It’s not a promising start, but perhaps the combination of the trade rumors, Guerrero speculation and his own expectations have caused him to add pressure in the early weeks of the season.
“For right now, I think I have a lot of work to do before I feel like I can say I deserve that contract extension to be the long-term first baseman for the Boston Red Sox,” Casas told Speier last month. “I think the expectation for the first baseman of the Boston Red Sox is elite production. And I didn’t produce that last year in terms of a great first baseman in the game.
I don’t feel that I’ve earned a contract extension. I don’t feel that I’ve developed that type of game to merit a long-term extension and contract. So if I don’t get that offer, I’m not upset at anybody in the organization. I’m not upset with myself.”
With Guerrero no longer a possibility, Casas has a chance to relax and play his game. If he gets back to his previous form, the Red Sox will be motivated to get a deal done and Casas could turn out to be a long-term winner after his rival’s mega-deal.