The Boston Red Sox have a problem on their hands.
Triston Casas went down with a gruesome knee injury and the Red Sox haven’t found a solid replacement. It would make sense to slide Rafael Devers to first base, but he’s seemingly unwilling to do so and it’s causing quite a bit of drama in Boston.
Rather than jumping on the wave and screaming the Red Sox should trade Devers, which they absolutely shouldn’t, it’s time to look at potential first basemen they could acquire.
The best option on the market is Baltimore Orioles star Ryan Mountcastle.
Mountcastle, 28, is slashing .209/.244/.322 in what would be the worst season of his career. That also means his value is at the lowest it’s ever been, which is good for the Red Sox.
Boston could ship two prospects to the Orioles in order to acquire the slugger. This would put to bed all the doubts the media is stirring up about Devers. It would give the team a solid Casas replacement and allow Devers to continue to play baseball rather than deal with the media.
For the Orioles, the deal would make sense, too. Mountcastle is blocking prospects Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo from seeing everyday time in the big leagues. Mayo or Basallo will likely be the team’s first baseman of the future, not Mountcastle, so it could make sense to clear the spot for a prospect.
It’s rare to see two intra-division teams swing a midseason trade, but the pieces could fall into place for this one to make sense.
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