The Boston Red Sox are gearing up for a transformative offseason, with their sights set on bolstering their starting rotation to complement their ace, Garrett Crochet. Last December, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made waves by acquiring Crochet in a blockbuster trade, a move that paid dividends as the left-hander delivered a stellar 18-5 record, a 2.59 ERA, and a league-leading 255 strikeouts in his first season with Boston. However, despite Crochet’s dominance, the Red Sox rotation lacked a reliable No. 2 starter, exposing a critical gap in their postseason aspirations.
Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35 ERA) and Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.41 ERA) both showed flashes of potential but struggled with the consistency needed to anchor the rotation behind Crochet. The disparity was glaring during the American League Wild Card Series. Crochet dazzled in Game 1, tossing 7 2/3 innings of four-hit, one-run ball to secure a victory. However, Bello faltered in Game 2, exiting after just 28 pitches, and rookie Connelly Early, making only his fifth major league start, was thrust into the spotlight for the decisive Game 3. The steep drop-off in pitching quality underscored Boston’s urgent need for a high-caliber starter to pair with Crochet.
Enter a bold new trade proposal that has emerged from the baseball rumor mill. On Thursday’s episode of the “Locked on Red Sox” podcast, host Gabby Maljanian and her counterpart from “Locked on Marlins,” Jeremiah Geiger, floated an intriguing deal: Boston would send a package headlined by first baseman Triston Casas to the Miami Marlins in exchange for 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.
For Boston, landing Alcantara—a proven ace with a $17.3 million contract—would provide the elite No. 2 starter they desperately need. Alcantara’s track record, highlighted by his 2022 Cy Young campaign, makes him a perfect fit to solidify the Red Sox rotation and elevate their postseason prospects. Meanwhile, the trade would serve as a homecoming for Casas, a Miami native and the Red Sox’s 2018 first-round draft pick out of American Heritage High School in Plantation, roughly 30 miles northwest of Miami.
For the Marlins, who finished the 2025 season at 79-83 and third in the NL East, acquiring Casas would address a significant need at first base while injecting young, controllable talent into their roster as they aim to return to playoff contention. The deal represents a win-win scenario, with Boston gaining a frontline starter and Miami securing a cornerstone player for their future.
As the offseason heats up, this proposed swap could reshape the Red Sox’s blueprint for 2026, pairing Alcantara’s proven excellence with Crochet’s electric arm to form a formidable rotation. Whether Breslow pulls the trigger on this blockbuster remains to be seen, but the idea of Casas for Alcantara is a tantalizing proposition for Red Sox fans dreaming of a deep postseason run.