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We're at the stage of the offseason where the Minnesota Twins, under Derek Falvey, have been known to get creative with stunning blockbuster moves that seemingly materialize out of nowhere. While this front office has been dormant for two full years now, I can't shake the feeling that some type of significant move is still in the offing as the team looks to generate excitement (and TV sign-ups) ahead of a pivotal season.
As I size up the offseason landscape and where it stands with spring training about to commence, one clear possibility sticks out. First baseman Triston Casas is on the market, and few teams have as stark of a need for his services as the Twins.
Red Sox Are Known To Have Shopped Casas
It seems to be one of the worst-kept secrets of this hot stove season. Adam Jude wrote recently in the Seattle Times that the Mariners rejected multiple trade offers from Boston this offseason that proposed exchanging Casas for starting pitching — first targeting a young starter like Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, then veteran starter Luis Castillo.
Unable to get a bite on Casas in December, the Red Sox pivoted in their pursuit of pitching, swinging a big trade with the White Sox for Garrett Crochet and signing free agent right-hander Walker Buehler. Even after adding those arms, though, Boston still apparently kept dangling Casas. MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo wrote a month ago that "there remains a belief in the industry that the Red Sox remain open to trading Casas, potentially for young pitching." This came as the Red Sox were thought to be exploring a trade for Nolan Arenado, whose presence alongside Rafael Devers would make Casas somewhat of a redundancy.
Twins Have Seen Casas's Offensive Prowess First-Hand
If Casas is familiar to you, it might be because you watched him essentially deliver the death blow to the Twins' 2024 season. The slugger launched three home runs and drove in seven at Fenway Park on September 22nd, taking Pablo López deep twice and handing the Twins a loss they couldn't afford.
It came on the tail end of an injury-shortened season for the 24-year-old, who missed nearly four months with torn cartilage in his ribs. But when on the field for 63 games, he posted a 120 OPS+, backing up his breakthrough 2023 season where Casas slashed .263/.367/.490 with 21 homers to finish third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
For his career, Casas has an .830 OPS fueled by a disciplined, powerful approach. He's a former first-round draft pick and top prospect so the track record is there. In terms of difference-making moves the Twins could pull off at this point, reeling in Casas to take over first base is about the biggest I can realistically imagine.
With just over two years of MLB service under his belt, he's slated to make the minimum this year and under team control through 2028. Stepping in alongside a core of mid-20s talent, Casas would fit into Minnesota's plans quite nicely, financially and otherwise. That is, if they are willing to pay the freight.
What Would It Cost to Get Casas?
The Twins have plenty of players who could be appealing to Boston — part of what makes this an interesting scenario to consider. If the Red Sox were targeting controllable rotation standouts like Miller and Woo, it stands to reason someone like Bailey Ober or Joe Ryan might strike their fancy. Boston also could be interested in adding a relief weapon like Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax to the back end of their bullpen, giving the Twins a chance to deal from their strength.
The front offices of Boston and Minnesota are plenty familiar. They've already swung one trade this offseason (Mickey Gasper for Jovani Moran), and Red Sox GM Craig Breslow was actually one of the first signings by Falvey as Twins CBO.
I'm on the record as saying I expected the Twins to make a significant pitching-for-hitting trade this offseason, and this would fit that bill to the extreme. Is it advisable? That depends.
Why Is Casas Being Made Available?
You can't help but wonder. It's not like Breslow and the Red Sox are desperately looking to unload Casas, but the overt presence of an inexpensive 25-year-old hitter with his pedigree in trade discussions is noteworthy.
The simple and relatively innocuous explanation is that Boston sees an opportunity to flip an ascendant hitter with minimal defensive value for quality pitching, which is in greater scarcity than a good lefty bat at first base. That shouldn't scare the Twins.
The more troubling idea is that the Red Sox have doubts about Casas for some reason — the way his skill set will age, or the way he'll rebound from the injury that sidelined him for so long last year. That's obviously something you need to be very careful of if you're talking about parting with the assets it'll take to add a Triston Casas, but on the surface this looks like a pretty terrific fit for Minnesota's needs. That is, if they're interested in boldly shaking up the status quo.
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