Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships Triston Casas To Mariners For $27M All-Star

Is it worth giving up Casas for this return?

Aug 2, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas throws out Seattle Mariners Tom Murphy out during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images / John Froschauer-Imagn Images

Triston Casas trade rumors are back to being hot in the streets.

Last week, Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow assured the local media that Boston wasn't actively shopping Casas in trade discussions. But it's undeniable that his name has been discussed with other teams this winter, and that also doesn't seem to have stopped since Breslow spoke.

On Sunday, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that the Red Sox "remain open" to trading Casas to facilitate roster movement, though that may not directly signal that such a trade will happen.

Where might Casas be traded, though, if the Red Sox are looking to bring in, say, Nolan Arenado or Alex Bregman to bump Rafael Devers off third base? The Seattle Mariners were at one point discussing a Casas trade, so that door could still be open.

On Sunday, content creator Robbie Hyde proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Casas to Seattle in exchange for All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz.

"I could see some teams out there being interested in Triston Casas... he is definitely a guy that could be a middle-of-the-order bat for a lot of teams out there," Hyde said. "He has been connected with the Mariners this offseason. Maybe they could revisit some of those talks."

In terms of potential Casas returns, Muñoz is something of a low-risk play. He's an All-Star closer with a 2.49 ERA in the last three seasons, so they know he's reliable, but the value of a relief pitcher can only be so high (4.1 bWAR in those three seasons) compared to an everyday slugger.

Muñoz is set to be paid just $2.5 million in 2025, but he has three club options for $6 million, $8 million, and $10 million that run through 2028. In theory, the Red Sox could have their closer for the next four years at $26.5 million by trading for Muñoz.

No one is forcing the Red Sox to trade Casas. If they're going to do so, they should be swinging for a home run rather than a safe bet like Muñoz. But that decision can only be made by the Boston front office.

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