It might've taken longer than Boston Red Sox fans envisioned, but Craig Breslow had a near-perfect offseason. Breslow acquired the ace Boston has been missing for years in Garrett Crochet, and even signed Walker Buehler to a one-year deal as well. He also improved the bullpen by signing Aroldis Chapman, and finally added a big right-handed bat in Alex Bregman to give the lineup more balance.
Bregman, for a variety of reasons, is a perfect fit in Boston, the only question being where the team ultimately elected to play him. He's a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman, but the Red Sox have Rafael Devers, a star player who is adamantly opposed to moving off of the position. The Red Sox could move Bregman to second base, but that would likely block one of Boston's top prospects, Kristian Campbell.
Whether Campbell has a chance to make the team's Opening Day roster or not likely has a lot to do with how he performs in spring training, but Red Sox fans certainly would love to see him or any of the team's other top prospects on the team's opener. Frankly, it's hard to blame them.
Campbell is considered MLB Pipeline's No. 7 prospect overall, five spots behind outfielder Roman Anthony, the best prospect in Boston's system. Infielder Marcelo Mayer isn't far behind at No. 12. All three of these players are in the upper minors and have star potential, so why wouldn't Red Sox fans want to see them as soon as they're ready?
Well, Red Sox fans might want to see them, but one individual who certainly appears to want no part of the youth movement is Casas.
Triston Casas says he wants Devers to play 3B and Bregman to play 2B.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 18, 2025
Asked if he thinks the group of Campbell, Anthony and Mayer should make the Opening Day roster, he said “no” because of the veterans Boston has in the mix.
Triston Casas wants no part of Red Sox youth movement no matter how badly fans do
This is strange behavior from Casas, to say the least. When asked if he thought any of Campbell, Anthony, or Mayer should make the team's Opening Day roster, he said no, citing the veterans Boston has in the mix. Yikes.
Sure, the Red Sox do have plenty of veterans in their position-player group. Two of those three prospects are infielders, and with Devers, Bregman, Trevor Story, and Casas, the Red Sox do have plenty of established commodities seemingly locked into infield spots. With that being said, though, shouldn't the goal be all about winning?
If the prospects struggle in spring training, obviously, they should go down to the Minor Leagues to get more seasoning. Even the biggest Red Sox prospect-huggers know that. If they exceed expectations, though, and Boston's front office thinks one or all of them are MLB-ready, why shouldn't they be with the team on Opening Day?
Casas' focus should be on the team winning, not on veterans getting playing time. If a guy like Campbell gives the Red Sox the best chance to win, he should be with the team on Opening Day, no questions asked.
It's good to see Casas defending some of his teammates, but he should not act as if the prospects being spoken about are not good — they're highly touted for a reason. Hopefully, if one or even all of those prospects are with the team on Opening Day, Casas will understand why.