Red Sox will ‘almost surely’ trade a corner outfielder

Boston Red Sox

“There aren’t enough at-bats in the lineup for both, especially if they add another bat in free agency.”

This offseason, the Red Sox will have to take a look at their lineup and how they’ll be able to fit the pieces together.

They have talent at the corner outfield spots, but one insider believes that there won’t be enough playing time to satisfy everyone.

In his 2026 MLB offseason preview, ESPN’s Jeff Passan listed both Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu as potential trade pieces, saying that one of them is likely heading out of town.

“The Red Sox almost surely will deal one of them,” Passan wrote. “There aren’t enough at-bats in the lineup for both, especially if they add another bat in free agency.”

Duran, a 2024 All-Star, led the team in at-bats (620) and total bases (274) last season while slashing .256/.332/.442. He was also second on the team in RBI (84). He led the league in at bats in 2024 and was MVP of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

Duran’s name has frequently come up in trade rumors, but so far the Red Sox have stood pat. He is on a one-year, $7.7 million contract for next season.

Duran had more than twice as many at-bats (11) as Abreu (5) during the postseason series against the Yankees. Duran had one hit and Abreu went hitless.

Defense will be a factor when making decisions about Abreu. He is a back-to-back Gold Glove winner, despite playing in just 115 games last season.

He also finished second on the team in home runs (22) and drove in 69 runs, 15 fewer than Duran despite having a fraction of the at-bats. Abreu slashed .247/.317/.469 last season.

With Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and Roman Anthony coming back from injury, the Red Sox will have some choices to make as far as how to manage the outfield situation.

Earlier this month, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said he believes there’s a way to accomodate all four players and that the team showed it last year.

But, Anthony played just 71 games after beginning the year in the minors and getting hurt during the regular-season. Abreu missed a significant amount of time with a calf strain. Duran and Rafaela were the only outfielders who played more than three-fourths of the games last year.

Time will tell if everyone can stay healthy or if there is a move to be made.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.