LAS VEGAS — Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said he doesn’t feel “overly compelled” to trade one of his four outfielders. But teams have expressed interest and he will listen.
“Going back to the trade deadline teams have expressed interest in some of our players,” Breslow said. “I don’t think that’s surprising. And other teams recognize where we are. So we’ll stay open-minded with those conversations, but again we’re going to hold a really high bar.”
The Red Sox have four starting-caliber outfielders and are thought to be willing to trade from their outfield surplus with Wilyer Abreu (under team control through 2029) and Jarren Duran (under team control 2028) being the two most obvious trade candidates. Abreu is still pre-arbitration eligible and earned just $780,000 in 2025. Duran recently signed a one-year, $7.7 million contract for 2026, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
Superstar rookie Roman Anthony, who already has signed an eight-year, $130 million extension, is the only untouchable of the group. Ceddanne Rafaela, who signed an eight-year, $60 million extension before the 2024 season, seems less likely to get dealt than Abreu and Duran because he’s Boston’s only right-handed hitting outfielder and plays Gold Glove defense at a premium position.
“I think the place to start there is that there is absolutely a way to accommodate all of those talented outfielders, and I think we showed that last year,” Breslow said.
Manager Alex Cora named Anthony an everyday starter last season while mixing and matching with the other three outfielders. Abreu and Rafaela both won Gold Gloves in 2025. Abreu earned his second straight Gold Glove despite making just 95 starts in right field due to two IL stints and being used almost exclusively in a platoon role vs. right-handed starters.
“I think it’s a good sign when other teams in the league express interest in our guys,” Breslow said. “And I think that’s a product of talent and successful seasons. So we’ll have to be open-minded about how we might be willing to use what would be depth in one position to address holes in the roster elsewhere. But at the same time, don’t feel overly compelled to move anybody.”
The Red Sox are looking to add at least one power hitter and a front-of-the-rotation starter.
They have plenty of top prospects to package in a deal for a starter and could also include one of their young, controllable outfielders as part of the package.
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