Red Sox's Craig Breslow Takes Stance On Possible Outfield Blockbuster

The Boston Red Sox do not need to trade an outfielder, according to the architect of the roster.

On Saturday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, in the midst of an offseason filled with speculation about Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu being traded, strongly hinted that a trade at this point was unlikely.

“It was never likely in my mind,” Breslow said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “We’ve got really talented outfielders. When teams call, that’s what other executives point to. They’re young, they’re controllable, they’re dynamic, they’re talented and can impact games in multiple ways. It’s really nice to be able to say they’re also members of the Boston Red Sox.”

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Red Sox laying groundwork for no trade

The messaging was fairly deliberate on Saturday, as in addition to downplaying the possibility of a trade, the Red Sox (via manager Alex Cora) announced a plan to rotate the outfielders through the designated hitter spot. (H/t Sean McAdam of MassLive).

This is pure, unfounded speculation, but it seems possible Duran received some sort of reassurance that he wouldn't likely be traded in recent days. He attended "Story Camp" this week at shortstop Trevor Story's complex in Texas for the first time, a totally optional players-only event that a player who wasn't sure he'd be on the team would have every right to skip.

The Red Sox's social media channels this week featured all sorts of pictures and videos of Duran and his teammates laughing with each other in the middle of their workouts, which only served to increase the fan base's appetite for baseball games to return.

Then again, maybe that's complete fan fiction, because Breslow still let the door creaked open for a trade if the right fit comes along.

“Going into spring training with the group we have is something I’d be comfortable with in terms of the outfield, but if there are opportunities to improve the team and address other needs via that group, we have to at least be willing to listen," Breslow said, per Cotillo.

The Red Sox learned late in the season that injuries can leave a seemingly deep group shorthanded without notice. As likely as a trade seemed at one point, Breslow seemingly announced Saturday that no one was valuing Boston's outfielders as highly as the club was internally.

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