With the 2025 Red Sox season over and an important offseason approaching, it’s time to break down each part of the Red Sox’ roster entering what should be a busy winter for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. All week, we’ll be running a five-part series analyzing each part of Boston’s roster. Finally, a look at Boston’s crowded outfield/designated hitter mix:

WHERE DO THINGS STAND?

With too many good players for spots, still. After Roman Anthony ascended to the big leagues in June, the Red Sox were, at full strength, often tasked with answering the question of how Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela would all fit together on the same roster. That remains a question entering 2026 with all four players under control.

Duran took a step back this season but still posted a 4.6-fWAR season, mostly in left field. Rafaela was patently streaky at the plate but cemented himself as one of the very best defenders in the game in center. Abreu’s year was shortened by injuries but he carried the offense early and is still elite in right. And Anthony, while healthy, was arguably Boston’s MVP in the middle of the season and was a much better defender than anyone could have anticipated.

The Red Sox have all four of those players, plus power prospect Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, still on the roster, as well as utility man Nate Eaton, who started in right field in the playoffs. Kristian Campbell also looms as an outfield option and the Red Sox prefer his defense out there. Lefty masher and veteran leader Rob Refsnyder is a free agent but there should be mutual interest in a reunion considering Refsnyder’s niche role on the roster and in the clubhouse.

At DH, Yoshida’s albatross contract isn’t getting any more manageable. The third-year player heated up late but still posted just a .696 OPS in 55 games for $18 million this year. He’s under control for two more seasons but is overpaid, and the Red Sox know it.

WHAT’S COMING FROM THE MINORS?

Primarily, Garcia, who was the club’s Offensive Player of the Year in the minors after posting an .810 OPS in 114 games between Portland and Worcester and earning a five-game late-season cameo in the big leagues. He provides right-handed pop, which is lacking on the rest of the roster, but his future with the Sox is uncertain because of all of the options ahead of him. He either profiles as a Refsnyder replacement or a trade chip entering the winter.

18-year-old Justin Gonzales had a strong half-season in Greenville but is years away from contributing. Former top prospect Miguel Bleis has had an up-and-down couple of years. Nelly Taylor has an exciting profile and is playing in the Arizona Fall League. Allan Castro and Yophery Rodriguez are somewhat intriguing, too.

In terms of ready-made options from Triple-A, Garcia and Campbell stand out as the top two options. On paper, they’d face an uphill battle to make the roster considering the options ahead of them.

WHICH MOVES MIGHT THE RED SOX MAKE?

One of the cleanest paths to reshaping the roster includes subtraction from the outfield mix via trade and a major addition that would serve as an upgrade over Yoshida in the DH role. There’s also a path — one that Breslow and manager Alex Cora often mention they’re comfortable with — where Anthony, Abreu, Duran and Rafaela remain on the roster and cycle through all three outfield spots and the DH role on a daily basis. The glut didn’t lead to a deadline trade. It’s possible the same holds this winter.

The reality, though, is that Abreu, Duran and even Rafaela have major trade value as young, talented, proven major league players. Each has his pros and cons. But it remains true that the Red Sox have a pretty clear way to balance their roster by using their outfield talent, and the redundancies within it, to land an arm or infield bat in a trade. All of the trade candidates will be discussed and valued highly. It just comes down to whether the Sox are getting enough in return.

The only certainty when it comes to the outfield is that Anthony, who is already one of the very best players on the team, will be manning a corner on a full-time basis. The Sox probably prefer him in left field but don’t mind him in right. From there, it depends on who stays and who goes. Duran would play left unless Rafaela — who teams are going to want — is dealt in a move that would shift Duran to center. Rafaela (center) and Abreu (right) will start in their spots unless moved. Garcia is also capable of playing all three outfield positions and Campbell started in left and center in the majors last year.

A trade is very much in play, albeit not a guarantee. What is certain, though, is that the Red Sox need to take a long, hard look at their DH spot. A team intent on capitalizing on its contention window will have to make bold, expensive moves, and one might be cutting bait with Yoshida — either by designating him for assignment or paying down a huge chunk of his contract in a trade — and looking for a true, impact bat to slot in every day. The two options there are clear in free agents Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso.

Cora has been clear about his admiration for Schwarber, who the Red Sox love, and if a quick reunion with the Phillies doesn’t come together, expect Boston to show some real interest there. Doing so might force the club to spend something close to $50 million — yes, you read that right — on its DH spot between a Schwarber average annual value around $30 million and Yoshida’s sunk cost at $18 million. That, however, is what big-market, win-now teams do. Alonso fits the club as a DH much better than he does as a first baseman, where his defense is more than suspect.

Bigger moves don’t preclude a reunion with Refsnyder, who knows his role and likely wants to stay. If the price tag gets too steep on him, Garcia has a better chance to contribute.

*** READ Part II of our roster analysis series, on the bullpen, here. ***

FINAL ANALYSIS / PREDICTION:

The Red Sox didn’t have the luxury of time to explore who to trade and who to keep from their glut of outfielders before the trade deadline. Now, time is on their side. Breslow is going to listen on Abreu, Duran and Rafaela and look to make a big-league trade involving one of them that either fetches a pitcher or an impact bat in an area of need. As he demonstrated over the summer, that doesn’t mean such a deal is guaranteed to happen. There’s a high bar to move those guys.

The roster works better, though, with some sort of move having been made, so at this time, it’s more likely than not that an outfielder is moved. At the same time, a true, major upgrade at DH is a very clear path to an improved roster. Schwarber is a perfect fit whether or not the Red Sox bring back Alex Bregman and should be treated as such.

The prediction here is that the Red Sox do move an outfielder, potentially Duran, in a trade for pitching, finding the perfect deal they’ve been pining for. Anthony, Rafaela and Abreu are the starting outfielders with Garcia, Refsnyder and Campbell in the mix as backups. From there, Breslow spends big on a big bat at DH, with Schwarber as the top candidate. Yoshida is playing elsewhere on Opening Day.

*** READ Part IV of our roster analysis series, on the infield, here. ***

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