The Boston Red Sox didn’t trade from their surplus of outfielders this past offseason and it was the right move.
Right now, the Red Sox still have Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida all in town. Now, of course, it’s not going to be easy to get playing time for everyone. But Boston still made the right call. Abreu and Duran specifically were the two outfielders most in trade talks. Yoshida was mentioned as a trade candidate, but after a tough 2025 season and with an expensive contract, there was no market.
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Abreu and Duran were both talked about as trade candidates and the Red Sox certainly could’ve found a market if they wanted to. Instead, both are in town. This is for the best, especially because Abreu is the club’s hottest hitter right now.
The Red Sox have gotten a lot from Wilyer Abreu
Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (52) reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Through four games, Abreu is slashing .500/.500/1.063 with two homers, five RBIs, three doubles and two runs scored. Right now, Abreu is leading the league with a 1.063 slugging percentage and 1.563 OPS.
Four games are a very small sample size, of course. But if this version of Abreu is here to stay, then it’s going to be massively positive for Boston. Power is the biggest question for the Red Sox’s starting lineup. If Abreu can club 30-plus homers, it would change the perception of Boston’s lineup. The projections out there have been laughably low. FanGraphs’ 2026 ZiPS projected no one in the Red Sox’s starting lineup to rack up 20 or more homers. That’s ridiculous. Arguably, the Red Sox have a handful of guys who can reach this threshold, including Willson Contreras, Abreu, Trevor Story, Anthony, Duran and Rafaela, at least.
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Now, Abreu is not going to be a .500 hitter all season. But if he can stay hot and keep hitting the ball out of the ballpark, that will help this club in the long run. The season hasn’t started off as planned, but the rotation and bullpen are both great on paper. If Abreu can hit 30-plus homers, then Boston will have the big-time slugger it needs, especially if the other guys mentioned above can be in the 20-plus range.
Abreu has been great this season. Not only has he been the best offensive weapon in Boston, but he has been one of the better offensive players in the American League so far.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Wilyer Abreu’s Recent Performance is Thrilling for Red Sox’s Future Goals.
