Insider Suggests 3-Time Gold Glove Winner For Red Sox In One Scenario

What would it take for Boston to shake up the infield?

Jul 18, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of an official New Era on field hat of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

There surely will be changes made to the Boston Red Sox's starting lineup before the 2025 season rolls around.

Boston's lineup was lefty-heavy in 2024. This is something that has been discussed all offseason to this point. There haven't been many moves made, so everything at this point pretty much has been speculation and rumors over and over.

By the time the 2025 season gets here, the Red Sox likely will shake up the lineup through a trade or two and then add more pieces, specifically right-handed sluggers.

There has been a lot of trade chatter this offseason and no one has been safe from it. One player who has been floated as a surprising option is first baseman Triston Casas. He struggled with injuries throughout the 2024 season, but is just 24 years old and has shown potential to be one of the better slugging first basemen in baseball.

It would be somewhat surprising to see Boston deal him unless it can get a massive package in return for him. Nothing can be ruled out right now, though.

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey weighed the pros and cons of such a move and also suggested moves in response. If the Red Sox were to deal Casas, she suggested Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker as a fit.

"One reason to trade Casas would be to balance out the lefty-leaning tilt of the lineup, particularly if the Red Sox are contenders to land another lefty slugger in Juan Soto," McCaffrey said. "Casas is young and, as (Craig Breslow) noted above, has the potential for regular 40-homer seasons, which makes him an enticing trade chip. Of their slew of lefty hitters, the Red Sox won’t be moving Rafael Devers, and Masataka Yoshida’s contract makes him tougher to move.

"If the Red Sox want to hold onto lefties like (Wilyer Abreu) and (Jarren Duran) in the outfield, Casas is the next logical choice to be traded. On the free-agent market, the Red Sox could target right-handed first basemen like Pete Alonso or Christian Walker."

If the Red Sox do make the surprising move of dealing Casas, Walker would be a fantastic pickup. He won't be as expensive as Alonso, but he still can bring a lot to the table. Walker is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner who also clubbed 26 home runs in 2024. He does a little bit of everything and is right-handed.

Boston should try to keep Casas and figure out another path to balance the lineup, but Walker would be a great option if that doesn't happen.

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