Red Sox Made Right Call Keeping Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran

The Boston Red Sox arguably made the right call this offseason as they kep their surplus of outfielders together.

It was a real conversation throughout the offseason whether the Red Sox would trade one of their outfielders away, and specifically Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran. Roman Anthony obviously isn't going anywhere, hopefully ever. Ceddanne Rafaela wasn't really tossed out in trade rumors throughout the offseason either. Duran and Abreu were the two who were speculated about the most, but both are still in town.

The Red Sox were able to fill each of their roster holes without having to trade either Duran or Abreu away. Boston acquired Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal centered around Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts. The Red Sox's rotation already was good on paper after Gray came to town and they bolstered it further by signing Ranger Suárez in free agency. The Red Sox had an infield hole and filled it by acquiring Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers in a deal centered around Kyle Harrison. Right now, Boston arguably doesn't have any clear weakness on paper and it was able to get to this point with Abreu and Duran still on the roster.

The Red Sox made the right call

Mar 14, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Venezuela left fielder Wilyer Abreu (16) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against Japan in the sixth inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Their performances in the World Baseball Classic have only justified the decisions more as well. Duran played in four games for Team Mexico and slashed .333/.412/1.000 with three homers, five RBIs, five runs scored and a 1.412 OPS. Abreu has been electric for Team Venezuela and has slashed .294/.381/.471 with one homer, four RBIs and an .852 OPS.

Wilyer Abreu bat throwpic.twitter.com/l2SdfH14Su https://t.co/wiks1ZjWUB
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) March 15, 2026

The speculation hasn't fully stopped. On March 9, CBS Sports' Mike Axisa mentioned the Red Sox's outfielders as "too-early" trade deadline candidates. The chatter may continue, but that doesn't mean that Boston needs to actually make a move.

The Red Sox are loaded and have the best outfield in baseball. If Anthony, Rafaela, Abreu and Duran all can stay healthy, they are going to help Boston win a lot of games. Abreu and Duran look ready to take another step for Boston. Anthony also has been electric for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic as well. Overall, Boston made the right call with its outfielders even though the season hasn't actually started yet.