Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas enters 2024 as probably the most important player on the roster, and, more than that, in the entire organization. The team’s 2018 first-round pick, Casas showed he has star potential for the Red Sox in 2023, his first full season with the team, when he batted .263 with a .490 slugging percentage to go with 24 home runs and 70 RBIs.

Red Sox fans who have seen young star players crop up, blossom and move on to other organizations in recent years would be pardoned for already worrying about how long the team will hang onto the 24-year-old Casas, but in today’s MLB environment, it is not too early to start thinking about an extension.

There were talks, Casas acknowledged, about a long-term contract in the offseason, but nothing came to fruition. Casas has yet to reach arbitration, and won’t until 2026, but the Red Sox could potentially save big money by locking him up now.

Tim Britton of The Athletic projects a seven-year, $77 million extension between the Sox and Casas.

Red Sox Made Extension Offer Over the Winter

The problem is that whatever the offer the Red Sox made over the winter has been the last word on an extension. That was declined by Casas and his agents, and Casas reported this week that he’s had no further offers to consider from the team.

“No developments,” Casas said, according to WEEI.com. “I haven’t really even received any more offers so nothing to report up to right now. There’s not any news.”

Casas was third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind winner Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles and No. 2 on the list, the Guardians’ Tanner Bibee. He is projected to be the team’s cleanup hitter in 2024, but has struggled some in Spring Training, batting .220 with two home runs.

Casas enters the year with big-time goals, as he explained to the Boston Globe this week.

“Well, my goal this year is to play every game, make the playoffs, and have a .300/.400/.500 slash line,” he said. “Those three things right there jump off the page.

“I feel like if I’m playing and we’re winning and I’m hitting, well, life is good. So I always want to set positive goals, achievable ones, attainable ones that I feel like are realistic. But at the same time, make it something to shoot for.”

Triston Casas’ Focus on Becoming ‘A Better Player’

But getting an extension is probably not high on the list for Casas at this point. That’s because, if he plays well enough in the interim, he will hit arbitration in a strong position. Part of the challenge for any team signing a budding young star to an extension is that the team must offer something more than what the player is likely to get in arbitration.

Britton’s suggestion of seven years and $77 million is a big risk for the Red Sox, because injury or underperformance could torpedo the whole deal. But it’s a bigger risk for Casas if he winds up becoming the star he thinks he can be.

As he explained to WEEI, he puts his trust in his agents and those around him first: “Whatever they advise me of is what I will believe in. If they think I can do better as a player— because that is ultimately what it comes down to. If they don’t think I’m getting the money I deserve it comes down to how do I become a better player.

“It’s not about how do I get more money or how do I get more dollars. We have to become a better player so I have to put together better numbers and I have to have a better season this year if I’m going to get the value they think I’m worth. It’s nothing against the team or it’s nothing against ownership.

“It’s just my team believing I can do better than what I have done up until now and seeing if I can do exactly that.”