The Boston Red Sox have already brought in two pitchers, Garrett Crochet via a trade and Walker Buehler via free agency, this offseason. But they don’t need to be done there. There’s still room to add more to the pitching staff, especially considering all the expendable talent Boston has.
The San Diego Padres are reportedly listening to offers on their ace Dylan Cease, especially if they land Roki Sasaki, and the Red Sox would be the perfect landing place.
Boston could send a deal with first baseman Triston Casas acting as the headliner to acquire Cease. Trading Casas would mean Boston could move Rafael Devers to first base and acquire either Nolan Arenado or Alex Bregman as well.
Here’s a deal that could send Cease to the Red Sox in exchange for a package centered around Casas:
- Boston Red Sox acquire: RHP Dylan Cease
- San Diego Padres acquire: 1B Triston Casas, RHP Richard Fitts (No. 10 prospect), INF Mikey Romero (No. 12 prospect)
Let’s not forget how talented and valuable Casas is in a trade just because he was injured last season. When healthy, Casas has .800 or .900 OPS potential with a huge bat, good athleticism, and consistent pop. He’s still just 24 years old and is under team control for multiple more years.
Richard Fitts is a talented pitching prospect who would likely replace Cease in this scenario. He posted a 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 big league innings last season.
Mikey Romero is a 20-year-old former first-round pick with a lot of talent. He’s seen good professional seasons and he had a year when he struggled in 2023. In this trade, the Padres would be adding a high-upside infielder they could develop.
Given the Red Sox’s minor league organization, they can afford to trade some of their position player talent to make a run at a title in 2025. This deal helps them do that. If they can acquire either Arenado or Bregman, trading Casas to acquire Cease makes a lot of sense.
