Red Sox Rumors: Triston Casas trade, Alex Verdugo extension, shortstop answer

Red Sox Rumors: Triston Casas trade not out of the question

What the Boston Red Sox plan to do at the MLB Trade Deadline is very much up in the air. Yes, they are still in last place in the AL East, but they are still heavily in the wild card race as they would be in first in the AL Central — the woes of playing in baseball’s best division.

As it pertains to the deadline, though, that puts them in an intriguing spot where they could be buyers but could also look to shuffle around their system a bit. And one suggestion has fans buzzing for better or worse.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) published a proverbial trade deadline big board with 100 players who could be moved by Aug. 1. One player on the Red Sox he mentioned was former top prospect and first baseman Triston Casas.

Here’s what Bowden had to say about a possible deal:

"The Red Sox have been disappointed with his defense and lack of consistency. Boston still believes in Casas and he’s only 23, but there are teams targeting him just in case the Red Sox are open to a prospect-for-prospect deal that works for both sides."

It’s key that Boston isn’t looking hard at trading Casas right now. At the same time, though, with Cora making a recent move to play him at first base less as he tries to work through notable defensive issues and with his bat not necessarily living up to expectations either (.215/.332/.390), if the right deal is presented to the Red Sox, Bowden makes it sound as if there could be a trade to make.

Casas is still extremely young, has legit MLB power and could be a few tweaks from putting it together. Yes, that could be valuable to Boston in the long run but, if they believe that leveraging him to compete in the 2023 season is worth it, he could also help to bring in a substantial return at the deadline.

Now that his name is out there, it’ll be fascinating to see how the Red Sox proceed with him on the trade market.