Will the Boston Red Sox shake up the outfield this winter?
It will be a position group to watch for Boston over the next few months.
As things currently stand, Boston has Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, and likely will have Rob Refsnyder if the team decides to pick up his $2 million club option for the 2025 season.
Boston is loaded in the outfield but also needs to add some right-handed offensive help this winter. Tyler O'Neill spent the 2024 season with Boston and could be an option in free agency. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández also has been speculated as a fit.
With the way the Red Sox's roster currently is constructed, it's tough to add to add righties to the mix without making a trade or two. Boston could break up the outfield and maybe even swap someone for a pitcher.
There already has been speculation that the Red Sox could make a deal and both Duran and Triston Casas have been mentioned. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo spoke about a possible deal on the "Fenway Rundown" podcast and said that he thinks a move involving Duran would be more likely.
"My answer to that question would be to trade Duran instead of Casas if you have to trade one of them," Cotillo said. "Duran's older. He's probably hit his peak, so you can sell high. To me, Casas has not. He was a blue-chip prospect and has kind of passed every test. I think Red Sox fans underrate him."
This doesn't mean that a deal is coming, but Cotillo is one of the most respected Red Sox insiders, so when he talks, it's certainly worth listening. A deal that could be an intriguing trade fit would be the Seattle Mariners. They have pitching and need offensive help. Boston needs pitching. Maybe there could be some sort of agreement there, but that is speculation.
Boston will be busy and need to find a way to add pitching and right-handed offense. Could a deal involving someone like Duran could be on the way?
