MLB Insider Floats Orioles First Baseman As Potential Red Sox Trade Target

When Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas went down with a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee May 2, it cast a shadow over a season that was just getting started.

Replacing the young slugger’s bat in the lineup provided Red Sox manager Alex Cora with the first major challenge of the 2025 season. That being said, the duo of Romy González and Abraham Toro have stepped up at the plate and in the field in the absence of Casas and Alex Bregman.

While both players have established themselves as important pieces on a team that still views itself as a post-season contender, that hasn’t stopped baseball insiders such as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal from connecting the Red Sox to potential upgrades ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Writing about the Red Sox adding a first baseman via trade, Rosenthal floated Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan O’Hearn and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Josh Naylor as players who could make a major impact in Boston if their respective teams decide to sell next month.

“O’Hearn, who entered Wednesday ranked 16th in the majors with an adjusted OPS 55 percent above league average, has slowed of late, going 4-for-25 in June,” said Rosenthal. “His breakout at 31, however, still qualifies as one of the great surprises of the season.”

Given in-season trades between American League East division rivals are rare, trading with a team like the Orioles comes with plenty of drawbacks. And while the Red Sox will continue to ride the hot hand with González and Toro at first, it’s possible Craig Breslow and company are waiting for clubs around the league to identify themselves as sellers before any serious trade discussions take place.