4 Red Sox players who should be untouchable in trade talks this offseason

The MLB offseason is only a few weeks away. While the rest of the league waits for the remaining teams to duke it out, GMs start to plan for the impending moves.

Craig Breslow and the rest of the Red Sox front office seem to be gearing up for a busy offseason. The first task will be dealing with the impending opt-outs of Alex Bregman and Trevor Story, then moving on to the rest of the free agents to be.

A huge question mark hanging over Boston is the trade market. The outfield logjam has been heavily covered by Boston media, and something fans thought was going to be cleared up at the trade deadline. It still looms large now as the team looks to make upgrades this winter.

While no other position group in the organization can be deemed a logjam, there are certainly others that have plenty of depth. Starting pitching is one. The Sox have a plethora of arms in the organization, both MLB-ready and still developing. The phrase "you can never have enough starting pitching" certainly rang true for them this season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see some arms on the move this winter in a blockbuster trade.

A trade this offseason seems very likely, but there a few players who should be untouchable in almost all circumstances.

4 Red Sox players who should be untouchable in trade talks this offseason

Ceddanne Rafaela

The most likely scenario in a trade to clear the outfield logjam will include either or both of Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that they trade Rafaela. The 25-year-old took a step forward this season at the plate (even though he had some extended rough patches), and his defense looked Platinum Glov-caliber. He would have trade value due to that defense and his extremely team-friendly long-term contract.

That contract is the reason he should stick around. While Boston shouldn't have any problems with a large payroll, that isn't the reality, and keeping Rafaela around to roam center in Fenway through the life of his extension should be the priority.

Connelly Early

Early burst onto the scene in Boston and made a long-lasting impression. The 23-year-old looked great in the regular season and backed it up in his first career playoff start just five starts into his career. There will likely be a lot of interest in Early if the Sox look to make a major splash, but he shouldn't go anywhere. He showed top of the rotation upside, and could be a piece next to Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello for a long time. Moving off the lefty after the excitement he brought down the stretch would be a kick to the fanbase, even if it was for a star player.

Payton Tolle

Tolle's first foray into the big leagues didn't live up to the hype. That doesn't mean the Sox should move off of him now. It was reported they were willing to move him in a Joe Ryan trade at the deadline, but the lefty has a lot of potential.

His fastball looks to be one of the best in baseball, and he is just a year removed from college ball. There is still a lot of growth left in the 22-year-old, especially with the pitching infrastructure Breslow has built in Boston. Some fans may be ok with trading him after what he showed in 2025, but the Sox should let him develop in Boston and become the top-line starter they thought they had when he got the call.

Romy Gonzalez

Following a season where Gonzalez hit .305 and was a 2.0 WAR player in 96 games, he is sure to garner interest from teams willing to give him a full-time job at first or second base. While he could be worth a decent prospect, Boston shouldn't listen. Gonzalez is the perfect high floor bench player for the Sox. His positional versatility and dominance versus lefties are perfect for Alex Cora's squad, and he'll keep appearing in big moments for the Sox.