Red Sox Outfield Has Secret Weapon for 2026, Alex Cora Hints

It's both a blessing and a curse that the Boston Red Sox have four exciting outfielders.

On just about any other team, all four -- Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu -- would be stalwarts in a lineup and reasons to be excited about the season. Instead, we all have to wonder if all four will survive on the Red Sox roster until opening day.

Abreu and Duran have been caught up in trade rumors all winter, and the latest scuttlebutt has suggested that the Houston Astros may want Abreu more than Duran in a deal for infield slugger Isaac Paredes. However, trading Abreu would be a bit harder to stomach after hearing what manager Alex Cora recently had to say about him.

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Abreu 'having a great offseason,' per Cora

Aug 8, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Cora recently raved about Abreu's offseason development in an interview with "Baseball Isn't Boring" host Rob Bradford. The interview with Cora was from a Dec. 26 episode, but Bradford reposted it on Saturday to highlight his belief that Boston doesn't want to move on from Abreu in trades.

"Willy's having a great offseason," Cora said. "He dominated that home run derby in Venezuela, that was really good. But I don't know if you follow him on Instagram... He's putting in the work. I truly believe that we're about to see a complete player.

"Offensively, I think we're going to challenge him to face lefties. That's going to be very important. Think about him playing every day in right field. ... This guy's real. It's not only the plays that he makes. It's the base hit to right field with a man at second. They stop. It's the decision-making for the third-base coach."

Why are the Red Sox holding on to Wilyer Abreu? Here's a hint: pic.twitter.com/VFpJqhOMNY
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) January 24, 2026

Cora talking about Abreu in this manner is a reminder to all Red Sox fans that it's not going to feel particularly good to get rid of any of the current outfield group.

Anthony isn't going anywhere, so a trade means Boston is either getting rid of the best defensive center fielder in the American League (Rafaela), an All-Star with 13.4 bWAR in the last two seasons (Duran), or a two-time Gold Glover with 30-homer potential (Abreu).

Cora sure doesn't seem like a man looking forward to the possibility of the latter walking out the door. But he may believe that it's the best way to get the roster to where it needs to be, and regardless of where Abreu is playing next season, we'll find out how accurate Cora's thesis was about his development.

More MLB: Red Sox Have Critical Advantage in Isaac Paredes Trade Talks