Red Sox Rumored to Be Eyeing Former MVP

Houston Astros: Team culture a big lure for José Abreu

Since star slugger Triston Casas went on the injured list back in April, the Boston Red Sox have struggled to fill the void left by his injury at first base. Could a former American League MVP be the answer?

Former American League MVP Jose Abreu was released by the Houston Astros on June 14 after a dismal showing to begin the 2024 season. The 37-year-old hit .124 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI in 113 at-bats prior to his release.

Appearing Saturday on WEEI, Rob Bradford relayed that he was told that the Red Sox would at “at least look into” Jose Abreu.

Abreu, 37, won the 2020 AL MVP in a Covid-truncated season. In his 10 seasons, he has received MVP votes seven times. Despite his poor 2024 performance, he drove in 90 runs last season, and perhaps the Red Sox are hoping that a change of scenery could help revitalize his career.

Casas most recently played on April 20. He was a consistent presence of the middle of the order last season and into the start of the 2024 campaign. The 24-year-old was a finalist for both the American League Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger at first base last season. He is reportedly targeting Boston’s upcoming series against the Miami Marlins for his return. That series begins on July 2.

As part of the Sox’ efforts to counter the loss of Casas, they’ve relied largely on the trio of Garrett Cooper, Dominic Smith, and Bobby Dalbec. Cooper was picked up on April 27, but was designated for assignment on June 11 and released on July 14 after clearing waivers.

Smith agreed to a deal with the Sox on May 1 after starting the season in Tampa Bay’s minor league system, and Dalbec has bounced between Boston and Triple-A Worcester. Combined, those three have hit .180 with 3 home runs and 21 RBI, while striking out 88 times.

Abreu is clearly on the back nine of his career, but the Red Sox haven’t fared much better with what they currently have as options at first base. Back nine or not, Abreu has shown much higher upside than the current options. Does he have anything left in the tank?