It's Time for Red Sox to Make Wilyer Abreu Long-Term Offer

The Boston Red Sox haven't been good to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season. It's hard to deny that fact.

While this is the case, there has been one guy on the roster right now who not only has shined, but has looked like someone Boston should make a lucrative, long-term offer to: Wilyer Abreu.

Back in February, reports surfaced indicating that Boston made a long-term offer to Abreu ahead of the 2024 season but he turned it down to bet on himself. Abreu noted that it wasn't the "right moment" to do it back in 2024, as transcribed by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe in February.

“It wasn’t the right moment to do it,” Abreu said. “So I just wanted to play and see what happened in the future.”

The Red Sox need to try to get a deal done

Apr 5, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) hits a one run RBI during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Now is the time for Boston to approach him with a better offer. Abreu has played in 10 games so far this season for Boston and is slashing .400/.415/.775 with three homers and eight RBIs to go along with a 1.190 OPS. Abreu's 1.1 wins above replacement are also leading the American League so far this season. Let's also not forget that we're talking about the best defensive right fielder in the American League as well. Abreu has won two straight Gold Glove Awards out in right field and has looked like a stud out there so far in 2026.

Abreu, like Jarren Duran, was the subject of trade rumors at points over the last year. Arguably, he has done enough for that chatter to stop. Abreu is just 26 years old and is under team control through the 2029 season already. At this point, the Red Sox should see how many years in free agency they can buy out as well. What about a five-year, $100 million deal? That would cover three more seasons of control from 2027-2029 while also buying out two years of free agency as well for the 2030 and 2031 seasons. With the way that Abreu is playing, he's certainly worth a price tag like that. And if he keeps playing like this, a potential price tag is only going to go up.

Now, of course, there have been injury concerns with Abreu over the last few years. He only played in 115 games in 2025 and 132 games in 2024. But if this version of Abreu can stay healthy and play like this over the course of the season, Boston should do everything possible to get a long-term deal done.