The Case for Red Sox to Cash In, Trade Wilyer Abreu Right Now

At this point, the Boston Red Sox are going to have to consider all options ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline, including ones that could sting.

As deadline chatter has picked up steam around the organization, guys like Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray and Jarren Duran have mainly been the subject of the noise. Chapman is the best closer in baseball right now with a 0.83 ERA in 22 appearances. Gray is a seasoned veteran with a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts for Boston. Duran has two more seasons of team control left and is 29 years old. He isn't having his best season and is batting .210, but has 12 homers, 37 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

The Red Sox are going to have some hard decisions to make but there's arguably another guy the club should consider flipping: outfielder Wilyer Abreu.

Should The Red Sox Consider Trading Wilyer Abreu?

Jun 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) celebrates his home run as he runs the bases during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Hear us out. Obviously, Duran is a more likely trade candidate. He's older and has fewer years of control left. Abreu has three seasons left of team control and is just about to turn 27 years old on June 24. Abreu is the best defensive right fielder in baseball and has been a bright spot for an otherwise dreary Boston offense and is slashing .274/.333/.426 with a .759 OPS, eight homers, 34 RBIs, five stolen bases, 16 doubles, one triple and 31 runs scored.

If Boston ends up selling this summer, Abreu would fetch a better return than Duran. It's hard to deny that fact. If the Red Sox end up selling, it's not as if the club is going to do a full-blown fire sale and begin a long rebuild. There are too many pieces with plenty of years of control left, like Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Willson Contreras, Marcelo Mayer, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Ceddanne Rafaela, and many others, to believe this team could get back to contention in 2027 with a few good moves.

So, when the deadline arrives, don't expect to just see this club give up. If Boston trades guys away, it would be surprising if the return wasn't prospects near the top of the big leagues or even big leaguers with years of control. That's why Abreu should at least be considered. The Red Sox have an outfield logjam when Abreu, Duran, Anthony, and Rafaela are all healthy. If Duran or Abreu are traded, this team still has arguably the best outfield on paper with the remaining three. Abreu would get a better return than Duran and could help bring back pieces Boston needs that could immediately help to turn the season around. Imagine if someone has a right-handed infielder available? That would be a place to start.

Duran showed in May that he can still jump start this offense when he's rolling. Unfortunately, most of the season so far he hasn't been rolling. Still, the potential is there. Hopefully, Boston goes on a long winning streak and ends all of this talk. But if the Red Sox traded pieces away, Abreu should be considered.

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