The Red Sox have made several moves this offseason, especially when it comes to upgrading its starting rotation.

But beyond the several reports linking Juan Soto to Boston in November and early December, the most discussed Red Sox offseason scenario has usually involved a trade involving slugging first baseman Triston Casas.

The 24-year-old first baseman has reportedly been dangled out on several reported trades this winter — with Boston reportedly willing to move the power bat in order to add more starting pitching. 

On Dec. 7, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox had offered Casas as part of a package to one team in order to land pitching. Last week, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand added that the Red Sox were willing to deal Casas to the Mariners (along with Masataka Yoshida) in exchange for starter Luis Castillo.  

But with the Red Sox trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler earlier this month, it seems as though Boston is not entertaining any more trade talks involving Casas — especially with the team’s rotation seemingly set.

“I’m not totally sure where it comes from,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters, including MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, on Monday. “We’re not shopping Triston. We see him as a guy that can hit in the middle of the lineup for a really long time here in Boston. 

“Obviously, plus power, plus strike zone judgment, the ability to get on base, and it’s someone that I don’t think we’ve seen the best of. He obviously missed a number of months during the season. We’re really excited for him to be completely healthy. He’s had a full healthy offseason.

“When you have really good young players, I don’t think it’s surprising that other teams would ask about them. But I’ve seen some of the speculation about what what deals may or may not have existed or what may or may not have been proposed. And there was nothing that was remotely close. We’re certainly not shopping him.”

Granted, this is not the first time that Breslow has pushed back against trade talks involving Casas — noting in November (before those trade rumors initially sprouted up) that the Red Sox weren’t interested in moving Casas. 

One scenario that could have opened the door for a Casas trade was moving Rafael Devers from third base to first (or even designated hitter). 

But beyond the fact that Boston has already added a pair of pitchers in Crochet and Buehler, Breslow stressed that the Red Sox don’t have any plans of moving Devers off the hot corner in 2024. 

“Raffy is our third baseman,” Breslow said. “He’s having a really productive offseason. Saw him a couple of weeks ago. Looks great. Feels great. “We’re really optimistic about what we’re going to get out of him. He’s talked about coming to Fort Myers early this year and really focusing on getting himself ready to have a great season.

“With that said, we’ll be open-minded and we’ll be creative in terms of how we put together the best roster, but as things stand right now, Raffy is our third baseman.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.