As Masataka Yoshida returns to lineup, could Red Sox deal from depth by trading Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu?

Boston Globe

09-07-2025

Do the Sox need to trade from a position of depth in order to manage playing time? Not necessarily. But they also can't ignore the fact that, in a scenario where one of those five outfield/DH options sits in any game against a righty, the team will be realizing something less than a player's full impact.
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'It's something we have to think about,' Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said on NESN's '310 to Left' podcast. 'You never want to be in a position where you have to make a trade, and there's this very fine line between having the problem of an overcrowded roster and having enough depth to weather injuries and keep guys off their feet.
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'I think there potentially could be some opportunities to make what I think people would call just like baseball trades, where you're using depth in one area to address a need in another,' he continued. 'And I think we'll be very open-minded about those things, but I don't think we're in a position where we have to make a trade.'
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Even so, while the Sox won't necessarily feel compelled to make a deal, the 5-for-4 roster ratio has caught the attention of the league with just over three weeks left until the deadline. Scouts from a number of teams in recent weeks have been assigned to cover the Sox to prepare for the possibility that the club will trade an outfielder.
But Duran and Abreu are another story. While the Sox aren't believed to be shopping either player, multiple sources around the league described both as available, with the Sox willing to at least listen to offers on either player.
But listening isn't the same as dealing. The bar for a trade would be set extremely high — in a way that makes a trade before the deadline unlikely.
Though Duran has followed his 2024 All-Star performance by slipping to a .259/.315/.427 line with seven homers and 15 steals, he still possesses rare electricity and the ability to carry a team for weeks at a time, with game-changing ability as a hitter, runner, and defender. The 28-year-old is also under team control through 2028.
Jarren Duran now has the longest HR at Fenway Park this year 🤯
456' ☄️
— NESN (@NESN)
Abreu, who sat Tuesday's game against Rockies lefthanded starter Kyle Freeland, has a .261/.329/.502 line and a team-high 17 homers. After winning the Gold Glove in 2024, he's once again leading American League right fielders in Outs Above Average with four. (He ranks second in the AL in Defensive Runs Saved with eight.) And at 26, he's building towards his peak at a time when he's making little more than the league minimum (he won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2026 season) and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2029 campaign.
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Given the talent and remaining years of control of both players, the Sox seem unlikely to trade either for anything short of an impact big leaguer in return — and in particular, one who was both under team control for multiple years and addressed a roster and organizational shortcoming.
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Is there a scenario in which the Sox swapped Abreu or Duran for a No. 2 or No. 3 starter with multiple years of remaining control? Sure.
But is it realistic that such a deal could be consummated mid-season? While not impossible, that prospect seems unlikely.
And even with their coming crunch for playing time, the Sox almost surely would rather have a surplus — and have lineup members sit once or twice a week against righties — than deal away a valuable player for what they see as less than equal return, while compromising their outfield depth.
'It's not difficult. It's good to have a lot of good players on the same roster,' said Cora. 'We're going to be able to rest some guys and to match up later in games with guys that are everyday players, not starting certain days. And I think that's going to work to our advantage.'
For their part, amidst a stretch where the team's roster flexibility has helped catalyze an 86-run, 10-game stretch, the players seem open to adjustments to their playing time.
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'It's really cool to see how many guys we can mix and match and cause havoc on the offensive side,' said Duran. 'I know [Cora] has a plan and trust him full tilt. Whatever he needs me to do, I'm going to do. . . . He's a good manager and he's been doing it and I trust him for whatever we need to do for the team.'
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That is, of course, if the team doesn't end up dealing from a potential position of surplus — an outcome that is far from assured, but is at least a consideration.
'You can think about this as five guys for four spots, four guys for three spots. But when you do, when you play that out, you can say, 'Hey, each guy can get 75 percent, 80 percent of the at-bats. That's a pretty full season,' ' said Breslow. 'There are a number of ways that this can go [while keeping all of the outfielders on the roster] — but we're also going to explore what opportunities exist out there, and if there's a chance to make this team better in the short term and the long term, then we have to be open to it.'
Alex Speier can be reached at