Red Sox’s Triston Casas Revisits Extension Topic Before 2024 Finale

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas engaged in early contract extension negotiations with the front office this past offseason, which didn’t amount to anything.

The 24-year-old re-addressed the topic before the team hosted the Tampa Bay Rays for their regular season finale at Fenway Park on Sunday.

Casas spoke with honesty, understanding that the slugger’s stock value stood still after a nearly four-month absence on the injured list with a rib cartilage tear. The Red Sox waited patiently for the return of Casas which came on Aug. 16, just in time for a last-minute bid at postseason contention.

“I didn’t have a year this year,” Casas told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “I didn’t put up any numbers that would merit an extension like that. I think if I was a front office representative I’d need to see more out of myself, for sure. I’m not expecting any offers that would peak my interest, honestly. I haven’t earned it and I don’t think it’s gonna come in the near future anytime soon. But that’s why I’m gonna go to the offseason, work really hard, come into spring training in really good shape and hope and pray for a potentially-healthy season next year because if I am allowed the opportunity to fail enough times I’m gonna figure it out and it’s gonna be a beautiful thing.”

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Boston struggled to fill the void of Casas’ absence, calling upon contributions from Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Romy González to hold the fort down at first base. Casas, who started at first base and batted third Sunday, entered Game 162 hitting .240/.339/.466 with 13 home runs, eight doubles and 31 RBIs in 62 appearances. Needless to say, the sample size wasn’t large enough to assemble an impression for Casas to revisit negotiations with the team’s front office.

Casas entered the year with high hopes, especially after turning around a 25-game slump to begin the 2023 season — hitting .133 with three home runs and 27 strikeouts — to finish his first-full run in the big leagues in contention for the American League Rookie of the Year honors. Boston found its first baseman of the future poised to take another leap alongside fellow youngsters Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu among others. Now, the latest Casas leap will be held on delay until Opening Day in 2025.

“There’s always a little bit of excitement going into your next season because as baseball players we have these unrealistic expectations sometimes of the player we want to be and the statistics we want to post,” Casas said, per Bradford. “It’s a time to manifest and to visualize what you want out of a brand new year. So that’s what you visualize in the offseason. You’re waking up early working out, all those hours in the cage, you’re like, ‘I want to be the best version of myself that I can for my team.’ It’s a time to reconnect with friends and family and continue to get better at my craft, try to perfect baseball which is something that can never be perfected.”