Like every other baseball fan, I’m making deals in my head all offseason long and wishing for this, that, and the other. Of course, most of us will be disappointed because there are only so many free agents to go around. We Red Sox fans have been disappointed more than a few times these past several offseasons. Promises, which I won’t re-litigate right now, were made and not kept.
Despite that, I feel pretty confident that Craig Breslow will sign a number two starter for us this year. I’m “hearing” that Alex Bregman is likely to come back into the fold. But I’ve “heard” other things too, and who knows what’s real in the offseason! Honestly, any of it could be chess moves, smoke and mirrors, or wishful thinking. But let’s go with it: at this point in time, I feel like this deal has a good chance of getting done, especially since both sides sound willing. Bregman is consistent, and invaluable in the clubhouse, even if he’s not the power bat we need…but I feel like Breslow will find some kind of solution for that too. Am I once again overestimating what the Red Sox are willing to do in an offseason? Time will tell.
For me, it starts to get murky when we come to guys like Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. Where are they going to play? Are they up to the job? Speaking of infield…Craig Breslow wouldn’t commit to Triston Casas at first base. It sounds like he’s shopping around. Others are actively campaigning for other options at first base. Lou Merloni has complimented NPB star Kazuma Okamoto while sporting a polar bear profile image on his X account.
This brings me to my own biggest question of the offseason right now: what will happen to Triston Casas? Not first base; it’s Triston I’m thinking about.
Does he worry about his job with the Red Sox or does he think he’s going to emerge from the wreckage of his 2025 season, dust off the debris, and absolutely crush it in 2026? Knowing Triston, he’s listening to a Headspace meditation right this moment in Ft. Myers, as chill as can be. Or maybe he’s enjoying a giant breakfast, or earthing, or doing something to feed his soul. I mean that in a good way, and I do hope he’s centered.
What do players think in the offseason? The ones who are essentially trying to battle their way back, I mean. I actually find myself worrying about this. Maybe it’s because I’ve been down with my own injuries for a sustained period, and I know that it can be grueling, even mess with your head. But elite professional athletes are made of different stuff than someone like me.
I was listening to a podcast during one of the earlier playoff rounds last month—sorry, I don’t remember which one, or who was speaking—about how a team might chip away at a big deficit in a playoff series and claw their way back to win it. The question was basically, “As a player, when do you start to worry?” A former big leaguer whose team had not battled back and had gone on to lose such a series said something to the effect of, “We thought we had it the whole way; we had complete confidence every night that we’d win that game and we always thought we’d come back. We were shocked when suddenly it was all over. We never even knew we were in trouble.”
Is that what it’s like for Triston, or any player battling back? Does he think he’s going to make it back? Will he? What is his future in the big leagues? Can he stay healthy? Nathaniel Lowe being cut earlier this week brought these worries back to the forefront for me. No one has committed to Casas—and I see the wisdom in that. But I’m worried on his behalf, maybe unreasonably so.
First base is another one of the knots that Craig Breslow will have to untangle this offseason. That is one of the agonizing pleasures of the offseason, when everything is still possible, anything can happen, but you just don’t know how the hell it’s all going to work itself out.
