Red Sox Predicted To Cut Ties With Gold Glover For Pitching Help

Boston might make a big trade to bolster their staff

Apr 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of Fenway Park before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox must improve their pitching staff before the July 31 trade deadline.

With a crowded outfield and top prospect Roman Anthony recently entering the lineup, Boston's chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may need to make a tough decision to address the club's rotation needs.

Trading a talented outfielder could be the key to landing a high-impact arm, and recent analysis suggests one player might be the odd man out.

ClutchPoints’ Owen Crisafulli recently highlighted Boston’s outfield logjam.

“Easily the biggest position crunch on the Red Sox roster is the outfield," Crisafulli wrote.

"Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu all are starting-caliber players, and Rob Refsnyder is a great platoon player who can fill in against left-handed pitchers. That made it virtually impossible to promote Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, until Abreu hit the injured list with an oblique strain. Now that Anthony is in the majors, it seems unlikely he’s going back to the minors unless he struggles mightily."

"That means somebody from the aforementioned four-man crew is going to get squeezed out of the picture," Crisafulli continued.

"Duran, Rafaela, and Abreu have all popped up in trade rumors, but it seems like dealing away the ailing Abreu makes the most sense for the time being. After a blistering hot start to the season, Abreu has cooled off as of late, but he’s still hitting .245 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs on the year, and he is a strong defender in right field who won a Gold Glove Award last season. Realistically, any of these guys could be dealt if it brings pitching back in return, but it feels like right field is Anthony’s best spot in the outfield, which makes Abreu the easiest player of this group to trade away."

Abreu's age (25), bat, and defense make him an attractive target for several teams.

Boston’s pitching staff, while anchored by Garrett Crochet, lacks another special arm right now.

Moving Abreu would be a tough pill to swallow for the Red Sox. But with Anthony now in the fray and Boston’s urgent need for pitching, Breslow may see a difficult Abreu trade as the path to contention. If the Red Sox can land a legit starting pitcher, dealing Abreu could be the necessary evil that propels them into the playoff picture.

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