The Boston Red Sox appear to have found a solution at first base, picking up Garrett Cooper in a trade with the Chicago Cubs following Triston Casas’ injury.
The Chicago Cubs have traded first baseman Garrett Cooper to the Boston Red Sox, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam reported Saturday.
Boston is sending cash back to Chicago in return.
The Cubs designated Cooper for assignment on Tuesday. Before he was released or sent across the waiver wire, the Red Sox swooped in to snag Cooper.
Cooper signed a minor league deal with Chicago in February, but he earned a spot on their Opening Day roster after posting a .927 OPS in Spring Training. The contract was worth $1.75 million with an additional $1.25 million available in performance bonuses, and Boston is now set to take on that money.
The 33-year-old right-handed hitter was batting .270 with one home run, six RBI, a .774 OPS and a 0.1 WAR in the 12 games he played for the Cubs.
Cooper made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2017, a few months before he was traded to the Miami Marlins. He spent the next five-and-a-half seasons in Miami, until he got sent to the San Diego Padres at the 2023 trade deadline.
Between 2019 and 2021, Cooper appeared in just 55.2% of games for the Marlins. He impressed in that time, though, batting .282 with an .818 OPS.
Cooper became an All-Star in 2022, and he remained productive into 2023. He averaged 13 home runs, 56 RBI, 107 hits and a 0.5 WAR between the two campaigns, batting .256 with a .738 OPS in 242 total appearances.
The Red Sox were in dire need of a first baseman, as up-and-coming star Triston Casas recently suffered a rib cartilage injury that could keep him out through the All-Star break. Bobby Dalbec had been serving as Casas’ full-time replacement over the past week, but he is batting just .091 with a .263 OPS and -0.7 WAR so far in 2024.
By adding Cooper, Boston can slot a veteran in at first in the short term. With Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill off the injured list and middle infielder Vaughn Grissom set to follow close behind, the Red Sox will soon be able to field a more serious lineup of major league-caliber players.
Cooper has also made 73 career starts in right field and 115 at designated hitter, compared to 245 at first base.
The Red Sox and Cubs are in the middle of a series at Fenway Park. The Cooper trade was agreed upon just before Game 2 got underway.
Since he had been designated for assignment Cooper was not traveling with the rest of the Cubs. He will ship out to Boston soon enough, however, only this time in a different uniform..
