The Boston Red Sox outfield has four players capable of playing every day. However, the team may look to trade one of them at this year's trade deadline.
Roman Anthony and Ceaddanne Rafaela are not candidates to be traded. Rafaela is signed to a long-term extension and Anthony is the top prospect in baseball. However, Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran both have great trade value, are not signed to extensions and have multiple years of club control.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden polled 40-plus MLB executives, and they tabbed Abreu as a candidate to be dealt this offseason. They also listed Duran, but Abreu may be more attractive to some teams.
"Abreu was mentioned because some teams would prefer him over Duran in a trade due to his elite defense," wrote Bowden. "He also has an additional year of control (through 2029)."
Abreu won a Gold Glove Award last season as a rookie. He is slashing .256/.323/.496 this season with 16 home runs. He has already surpassed his home run total from a season ago, in just over half the games. He may get more than Duran in a trade, but the Red Sox may prefer to keep him over Duran.
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"I get the impression Boston’s preference is to trade Duran over him unless the return for Abreu was much better," wrote Bowden. "Abreu, 26, is batting .256 with 16 home runs and a 125 OPS+. He will again be in contention to win the Gold Glove Award for AL right fielders."
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