Red Sox 1B remains open to extension talks going into season

Boston Red Sox infielder Triston Casas. Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox first baseman remains open to extension talks going into season

By Lauren Higgins | Last updated 3/25/24

The Boston Red Sox have made it clear that they want to continue building around their young core of players. After signing righty Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55M contract extension, Boston has now shifted its focus to first baseman Triston Casas.

The 2018 Red Sox first-round draft pick is headed into his second full season with the team. In 2023, Casas slashed .263/.365/.477 with 24 homers and 65 RBI. Casas also finished third in the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year voting.

The slugger has been in talks with Boston regarding an extension all spring, but the two have yet to find a common ground.

"There's been offers. There was an offer a couple of weeks ago, right around the same time that [Brayan] Bello's was made," Casas told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. "My team, my agency, didn't seem to think that the dollar amount the Red Sox put forward was the value that [the agents] see in me as a player. I don't particularly know what my value is as a player, so I can't really argue with [what] the professionals in my agency are saying."

This double play by Triston Casas pic.twitter.com/H2sYwVVYiE
— MLB (@MLB) March 24, 2024

Casas has been vocal about an extension and says that he will continue to be open to offers into the 2024 season and beyond.

"We're going to get a little better read after this year. Hopefully I play a full, healthy season to be able to contribute to the team and to wins, and to give them a better gauge as to what my value might be long term," Casas said. "We just haven't been able to meet eye to eye on the dollar amounts, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to [rule out] any type of talks in the future going forward — or even during the season, or next week, or tomorrow."

The 24-year-old has also stressed that he wants to remain in Boston for the rest of his career.

"I want to pave a good path for the players who are coming behind me," Casas said. "[But] I just want to be really transparent with the fan base: I want to be here for a long time and I want [the fans] to know that I'm all-in. All my chips are in and I just want to win and be here for a long time."

If ownership wants to prove that they are willing to invest in their young core, extending Casas would be the next step in the right direction. Though he doesn't hit free agency until after the 2028-29 season, locking up homegrown talent sooner rather than later should be a priority for them if they want to avoid what happened with former AL MVP Mookie Betts in 2020 and All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2022.

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