Triston Casas getting injured essentially forced the Boston Red Sox to ask Rafael Devers to do something that the organization made abundantly clear they wanted no part of him doing - play the field. Devers, unsurprisingly, said "thanks but no thanks" to the request, and instead told Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office to do what they were hired to do - make a move.
“They put me in this situation, and they told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “Now, I think they should do their jobs, essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I’m not sure why they want me to be in-between the way they have been.”
Whether Devers is in the right can be debated. Have the Red Sox handled this situation poorly? Undoubtedly. Should Devers still be willing to do what's best for the team even if the Red Sox handled things poorly? Probably. The fact that he isn't, though, suggests that the team really needs to make a move sooner rather than later. Romy Gonzalez landing on the IL likely only adds to what already should have been a high level of desperation to make a move.
With the team needing a first baseman, these are players the team can conceivably target.
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4) Jon Singleton is an uninspiring, but realistic target
As much as Red Sox fans might like for the team to immediately go out and trade for a star first baseman, it's only mid-May. Blockbusters rarely happen this time of year. Players who might be on the move, though, are those who are in the minor leagues without a realistic path to the majors like Jon Singleton.
Singleton, a former top prospect, signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets over the offseason and has had a strong start to his season. He has slashed .232/.387/.474 for Triple-A Syracuse with seven home runs and 19 RBI. He won't hit for a very high average and is not a good defender, but he's got a good eye and some decent power. He hit 13 home runs in 119 games for the Houston Astros last season as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching.
A platoon consisting of Singleton and Gonzalez (when healthy) would be extremely boring, but an upgrade over playing Gonzalez regularly or handing the reins to a guy like Abraham Toro. Since Singleton's path to playing time for the Mets is tough to make out, he wouldn't cost much at all to pry away right now if the Red Sox were really desperate.
3) Justin Turner is a familiar face the Red Sox can pursue
Justin Turner is not the star he once was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He isn't even the rock-solid hitter he was in his lone season with Boston back in 2023. He is, however, a familiar face who maybe can provide a spark.
It's entirely possible that Turner's days of being a productive hitter are completely behind him. He is slashing .161/.269/.169 in 23 games with the Chicago Cubs thus far. That's right, he doesn't have a single extra-base hit yet. Still, he's an established veteran who has had success in a Red Sox uniform and has a career .812 OPS at Fenway Park.
Whether the Cubs would be willing to give up on him after just one month into his one-year deal remains to be seen, but he's probably a player worth targeting for the desperate Red Sox.
2) Red Sox can look to buy low on Ryan Mountcastle, but there's a catch
There are two reasons why Ryan Mountcastle makes sense as a buy-low target. First, he's slashing .208/.242/.317 entering Saturday's action with two home runs and 11 RBI. Second, he's on a Baltimore Orioles team that is just 14-23 as of this writing and has high-end prospects like Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo looking for full-time spots on the MLB roster.
The catch, though, is that the Orioles are an AL East rival. There's every reason to believe Mountcastle will be available, assuming the Orioles continue to struggle, but would they really want to trade him to the Red Sox of all teams?
The answer to that question is probably no, especially since Mountcastle has another year of club control, but this is a player the Red Sox should look to target. He isn't a star, but he's an above-average first baseman, which is a major upgrade over what Boston has right at that position internally right now.
1) Nathaniel Lowe would be a dream Red Sox target
When it comes to ideal first base targets, it'd be hard for the Red Sox to do much better than Nathaniel Lowe. He probably isn't available right now, but with it being unlikely that the Washington Nationals are in postseason contention by July's trade deadline, Lowe should be made available. If and when that happens, the Red Sox should be all over it.
So far this season, Lowe is slashing .248/.331/.421 with six home runs and 28 RBI. He might not be the star he looked like he'd become after winning a Silver Slugger award in the 2022 season, but Lowe is a rock-solid all-around first baseman who'd make this Red Sox team a whole lot better.
He has hit at least 16 home runs in each of his last four seasons with an OPS of at least .760 in each of those campaigns. Additionally, he won a Gold Glove award in 2023 and was an elite defender at first base last season. He'd help them a whole lot more in the field than Devers would.
He'd be yet another left-handed bat, and probably isn't available right now, but with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended, Lowe might be the best option out there. At this point, it's one Boston must consider.