First base has become one of the biggest questions for the Minnesota Twins this offseason. With free agent prices continuing to rise, their best method may be to trade for Carlos Santana’s replacement and the Boston Red Sox could have a player available if they follow through on a position switch for one of their star players.
The Red Sox are considering moving Rafael Devers to first base as they look to upgrade their roster this season. After reportedly exploring a trade for Nolan Arenado and kicking the tires on signing Alex Bregman, it would appear a move is more than just an idea at this point and could put current first baseman Triston Casas on the trading block.
After striking a deal that sent Jovani Moran to Boston on Christmas Eve, the Twins could have the Red Sox on speed dial if this happens and acquire an affordable option at first base for 2025.
The Boston Red Sox have a good reason to move Rafael Devers from third base
The first domino that needs to fall is the Red Sox deciding to move Devers across the diamond. Devers is a solid offensive player, hitting .279/.345/.511 in eight seasons in Boston but his defense has been a problem with -62 defensive runs saved and leading the American League in errors seven times during his career.
For a team that ranked second behind the Miami Marlins (117) with 115 errors last season, improving the Red Sox defense by moving Devers to first makes sense. But it also solves another problem by thinning out Boston’s plethora of left-handed hitters, which was pointed out by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal in September.
Those rumors intensified when Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested moving Devers to first could pave the way for Bregman to land in Boston and Heyman mentioned the Bregman’s connection to Alex Cora while running through the top five free agents that haven’t signed.
Even if the Bregman rumors don’t come true, MassLive’s Sean McAdam suggested the Red Sox view a trade for Arenado as a potential move that precedes a position switch for Devers, bringing more smoke to the fire.
The Minnesota Twins should reach out to the Red Sox for a Triston Casas trade
The Twins probably need to wait for Devers’s position switch to become official. But even if the Red Sox strike out on Arenado and Bregman, they may be looking to trade Casas anyway.
Remember when we mentioned Rosenthal’s report about left-handed hitters in Boston? It’s a real thing. According to FanGraphs’ depth chart, the Red Sox have six left-handed players in their lineup including Casas, Devers, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu and David Hamilton. Even top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer bat left-handed, leaving the Red Sox to search for a right-handed bat.
Outside of not being able to utilize the Green Monster at Fenway Park, Casas has been a solid player early in his career. The 25-year-old had a career year, hitting .263/.367/.490 with 24 homers and 65 RBI in 132 games in 2023 and, hitting .241/.337/.462 with 13 homers and 32 RBI despite being limited to 63 games due to a rib cartilage tear last season.
The hangup here could be Casas’s defense at first base, where he’s logged -7 defensive runs saved in his first three major league seasons. But it hasn’t stopped teams from inquiring as the Seattle Mariners asked for Casas as part of a package in exchange for Luis Castillo according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
With four years of team control remaining, the price to acquire Casas could be steep. But the Twins could be creative enough to get a deal done. Creating a package around Willi Castro could help the Twins shed salary and give the Red Sox a switch-hitting second baseman or dealing the right-handed Jose Miranda could swap a controllable right-hand bat for a left-handed one.
This could also be part of a bigger deal if the Twins want to follow through on Pablo López trade rumors or they could dangle Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran in an attempt to cash in on a bullpen arm.
There’s plenty of loose change that could be sorted out on both sides but there’s enough to make a deal. If the Twins are serious about upgrading at first base, Casas could be a legitimate target.