After the Boston Red Sox Severed relations with Eric HosmerChief Baseball Officer Haim Blum explained the thought process behind the decision on Friday.
With the Red Sox making their latest unofficial move and acquiring Wyatt Mills from the Kansas City Royals, the club needed roster space. This is where Hosmer comes in. Boston appointed the veteran to the task after he played just 14 games for the Red Sox last season.
Bloom, who is working to reshape the roster after missing the playoffs in 2022, spoke about the move afterward and noted that development prospect Treston Casas played a factor in the decision to move from Hosmer ahead of the 2023 season.
“Our list isn’t complete yet, but as we build our clubhouse, we feel it’s important to give Triston a clear run, and carrying two left-handed first basemen will make us miss in other areas,” Bloom said. Written by Chris Cotillo from MassLive.com. “Given that, it’s important that Eric do something right and give him time to find his next opportunity. We knew when we first got him that day would come at some point, and we wanted to make sure we treated him right.”
Considering Casas is only 22 years old and Hosmer is in the midst of earning $39 million from the San Diego Padres over the next three years, the move didn’t come as much of a surprise.
While Casas did not show a large enough sample size for the referee, he did show some pop in his bat. Casas hit five home runs in 76 at-bats in 27 games played when he debuted with the Red Sox last season.
Meanwhile, Hosmer struggled to stay healthy and suffered a back injury. The former World Series champion batted .244/.320/.311 and totaled 11 hits (no house runs) with three doubles and four RBIs for Boston.
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