Red Sox first baseman stays open to extension talks heading into season.
The Boston Red Sox have made it obvious that they intend to continue developing their youthful core of players. After signing righty Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55 million deal extension, Boston has turned its attention to first baseman Triston Casas.
The 2018 Red Sox first-round draft pick is entering his second full season with the team. In 2023, Casas reduced.263/.365/.477, with 24 home runs and 65 RBI. Casas also placed third in the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year vote.
The slugger has been in talks with Boston about an extension all spring, but they have yet to reach an agreement.
“There’s been offers. “There was an offer a couple of weeks ago, right around the time that [Brayan] Bello’s was made,” Casas told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “My team, my agency, did not appear to believe that the financial number proposed by the Red Sox represented the value that [the agents] saw in me as a player. I’m not sure what my value is as a player, so I can’t really dispute with what the professionals at my agency are saying.”
Casas has expressed interest in extending his contract and has stated that he will remain open to offers through the 2024 season and beyond.
“After this year, we’ll be a little better at reading. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute to the team and win, as well as give them a better idea of what my long-term value might be,” Casas said. “We just haven’t been able to meet eye to eye on the dollar amounts, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to [rule out] any type of talks in the future going forward — or even during the season, or next week, or tomorrow.”
The 24-year-old has also stated that he intends to remain in Boston for the duration of his career.
“I want to pave a good path for the players who are coming behind me,” Casas said in a statement. “[But] I just want to be really upfront with the fan base: I want to remain here for a long time, and I want [the fans] to know that I’m really committed. All of my chips are in, and I just want to win and stay here for a long time.”
If ownership wants to demonstrate their willingness to invest in their young core, extending Casas is the next step in the correct manner. Though he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2028-29 season, they should prioritize signing homegrown talent sooner rather than later if they want to avoid what happened with former AL MVP Mookie Betts in 2020 and All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2022.
