The Minnesota Twins are in need of a first baseman, and the Boston Red Sox might consider making Triston Casas available if they decide to shift Rafael Devers to first base.
First base has become a key focus for the Minnesota Twins this offseason. With free-agent prices on the rise, their best option might be to trade for a replacement for Carlos Santana. The Boston Red Sox could emerge as a trade partner if they proceed with a position change for one of their star players.
The Red Sox are reportedly considering moving Rafael Devers to first base as part of their efforts to improve the roster. After exploring a potential trade for Nolan Arenado and showing interest in signing Alex Bregman, this idea seems to be gaining traction, which could make current first baseman Triston Casas available in a trade.
Following their Christmas Eve trade that sent Jovani Moran to Boston, the Twins might already have a connection in place to strike a deal. This could allow them to land an affordable first base option for the 2025 season.
The Boston Red Sox have a good reason to move Rafael Devers from third base
The first step in the Red Sox’s offseason plan might be shifting Rafael Devers to first base. While Devers has been a strong offensive contributor, with a career .279/.345/.511 slash line over eight seasons in Boston, his defensive struggles are notable, including -62 defensive runs saved and leading the American League in errors seven times.
For a team that committed 115 errors last season—second only to the Miami Marlins’ 117—improving the defense by moving Devers makes sense. Additionally, it could address Boston’s surplus of left-handed hitters, as noted by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal in September.
Speculation grew after Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested that transitioning Devers to first base could open the door for Alex Bregman to join the Red Sox, citing Bregman’s ties to manager Alex Cora.
Even if the Bregman scenario doesn’t materialize, MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported that the Red Sox might view a trade for Nolan Arenado as another potential precursor to a position switch for Devers, adding further intrigue to the rumors.
The Minnesota Twins should reach out to the Red Sox for a Triston Casas trade
The Twins might need to wait until Devers officially changes positions, but even if the Red Sox miss out on Arenado and Bregman, they could still be open to trading Triston Casas.
Rosenthal’s earlier report about Boston’s abundance of left-handed hitters is relevant here. FanGraphs’ depth chart shows the Red Sox lineup includes six lefties: Casas, Devers, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu, and David Hamilton. Add top left-handed prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer to the mix, and it’s clear Boston could be looking for a right-handed bat to balance their roster.
Despite not fully leveraging Fenway Park’s Green Monster, Casas has been a solid contributor early in his career. The 25-year-old posted a career-high .263/.367/.490 slash line with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs over 132 games in 2023. Even while limited to 63 games last season due to a rib cartilage tear, he managed a .241/.337/.462 slash line with 13 homers and 32 RBIs.
The main concern with Casas is his defense at first base, where he’s recorded -7 defensive runs saved over three MLB seasons. Still, his potential has drawn interest, as the Mariners reportedly included him in trade talks for Luis Castillo, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
With four years of team control remaining, Casas wouldn’t come cheap. However, the Twins could explore creative trade packages to make a deal happen. Building a trade around Willi Castro might help the Twins offload salary while giving Boston a switch-hitting second baseman. Alternatively, offering Jose Miranda could provide the Red Sox with a controllable right-handed bat in exchange for Casas’s left-handed bat.
This trade could also expand into something larger. The Twins might incorporate Pablo López in light of trade rumors or offer bullpen arms like Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran to sweeten the deal.
While there are moving parts to consider, there’s enough common ground to make a trade possible. If the Twins are serious about improving at first base, targeting Casas would be a logical move.
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