Red Sox Could Acquire Nationals' Former World Series Champ In Surprise Blockbuster

The Boston Red Sox are trying to find a solution, but they still need a first baseman.

Since Triston Casas tore his patellar tendon on May 2, the Red Sox have been trying a rotating cast of characters at the position. And famously, designated hitter Rafael Devers made a public show of his unwillingness to learn that spot on the fly.

The Red Sox, for now, will continue to rely on Nick Sogard, Abraham Toro, and Romy González to occupy the position. Meanwhile, rookie star Kristian Campbell is taking ground balls at first before every game these days.

However, if the Red Sox want a more established first baseman, one baseball writer believes he knows where they should look.

On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, a 2023 World Series champion who was traded to D.C. from the Texas Rangers this winter, as a potential trade fit for the Red Sox.

"Even before Casas' season-ending knee injury, it's not like things were going great at that position. Now, however, they've gone from a near-everyday first baseman with a .580 OPS to just a huge unknown from one day to the next," Miller wrote.

"If AL East rivals don't mind trading within the division, Baltimore's Ryan Mountcastle and Tampa Bay's Yandy Díaz might be the best options. Washington's Nathaniel Lowe could be a good one, too, or Milwaukee's Rhys Hoskins if the Brew Crew drops far enough out of contention to sell."

Lowe, 29, is a solid veteran, though he's not a star. He won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022, a Gold Glove and a World Series ring in 2023, and on the whole, his career OPS+ of 119 is exactly what Casas' was in his often-interrupted early career.

Because Lowe is under contract for 2026 as well, the Nationals aren't fully obligated to trade him if they're out of the race by the deadline. But he's also making over $10 million this year in arbitration, so they might be inclined to move him to avoid paying him for another year and a half.