There are three divergent paths the Boston Red Sox can take before the season starts, all of which will cause conflicting emotions within the fan base.
May 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images
They can sign Alex Bregman. They can trade for Nolan Arenado. Or they can do neither and pray that their lineup problems fix themselves.
While there are still a handful of teams that clearly want Bregman, the Red Sox might have some leverage with the St. Louis Cardinals when it comes to an Arenado trade. But the hot topic all winter has been how acquiring the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman would affect the rest of the roster.
For much of the winter, it seemed like almost a foregone conclusion that if the Red Sox got Arenado, they'd move third baseman Rafael Devers across the diamond and trade first baseman Triston Casas. But with the clock running out and the Red Sox having found no enticing returns for Casas, would that still be on the table?
On Friday, MassLive's Chris Cotillo expressed his belief that if Arenado came to Boston at this stage of the offseason, Boston would likely keep Casas at first base, instead moving Devers to designated hitter and leaving 2024 starting DH Masataka Yoshida without a clear role on the team.
"Now, with rosters largely set across the league, it’s even harder to envision all those pieces fitting together. The Red Sox, who have tried, at times, to move Casas, probably aren’t going to get what they’re looking for at this late stage," Cotillo wrote.
"That means the path to Arenado is different, but arguably cleaner: He’d take over at third base, Devers would become something close to the full-time designated hitter and Masataka Yoshida would be in limbo."
Yoshida is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, though he has been able to take batting practice already. There's a chance he could earn playing time in left field, where he started most of the time in 2023, or there's a chance he could be traded for pennies on the dollar.
Arenado would make the Red Sox's infield defense a lot better, and he's a candidate to rebound at the plate, still only two years removed from a top-three Most Valuable Player finish. But entering his age-34 season with diminishing bat speed, there are plenty of risks involved.
Casas, though, appears safe for now. And it's just as well, because if he avoids injury and hits the way he's shown he can, the 25-year-old first baseman could be one of the breakout stars of the entire Major League Baseball season.
