The Red Sox need to improve next season, and that might force them to make tough decisions.
Boston’s top brass understood the fans deserved more from the team after the club missed the postseason for the third season in a row. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged the team needs to better balance short-term and long-term outcomes in what will be a pivotal offseason.
One question that came up about the Red Sox’s offseason was whether or not Triston Casas, who is eligible for a contract extension, could be traded if Boston could acquire a bona fide ace. It was something the always introspective first baseman also wondered about on the final day of the season.
“I think that the team and the organization should continue to strive for a championship whether I’m in the plans or not,” Casas said, per The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “I don’t know what the front office has in store for this offseason in terms of restructuring the roster to try to become a playoff team.
“I want to be a part of the plans to make that happen, but if not, and they want to seek an outside source for me to try to bolster the roster, that’s well within their ability.”
Breslow noted in Boston’s end-of-season news conference that the Red Sox would explore all options to improve the team. The club has an exciting crop of prospects who could feature in the majors next year, but there are only so many spots in the lineup to go around.
“They’ve done everything to give me all the opportunity to succeed and continue to grow,” Casas said. “And sometimes that’s the nature of the business, moving on from teams to other ones for other players. If I were to get traded, it wouldn’t be anything that’s in my control.”
Casas acknowledged he would love to stay in Boston, and there hasn’t been any word from leadership to suggest otherwise. But the Red Sox and their fans demanded more from the team, and they’ll look at every available option to return to competitive play.
