Breaking: Red Sox Swing Trade For New 1st Baseman
It was a brutal blow to the Boston Red Sox when they learned that slugging young first baseman Triston Casas would be out until June with a fractured rib. It was obvious they needed to go out and find a stopgap to help fill the position until Casas returned. Bobby Dalbec (.093 avg, OPS+ of minus-22) was clearly not the answer.
Now, Boston has swung a deal with the Chicago Cubs to bring in solid hitter Garrett Cooper.
The Red Sox and 1B Garrett Cooper are close to an agreement. (Cotillo) pic.twitter.com/HQYZT70FK2
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) April 27, 2024
Cooper was surprisingly DFA'd by the Chicago Cubs earlier this month, after hitting .270 with them, with a homer and six RBI in 12 games. He also had a .341 on base, and a 115 OPS+. All of those number are pretty close to his career averages across eight years and nearly 500 games in the big leagues.
Cooper will not provide the power that Casas does, but he has a good stroke and will be a solid everyday fill-in at first base.
It’s a beautiful day for the Red Sox to go get Garrett Cooper. pic.twitter.com/0eoGLRlUyh
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) April 24, 2024
Ironically, the Red Sox showed serious interest in him over the offseason, but Cooper saw more opportunity in Chicago at his natural position of first base—that is, until Michael Busch just took the job and ran with it in Wrigley Field, posting six homers and 17 RBIs in 24 games, with a .902 OPS and a 148 OPS+.
But now with Casas out, that "opportunity" Cooper was looking for is right there in Beantown.
Photo: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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