After a rough start to the 2025 season, marked by inconsistent pitching, sloppy defense and undisciplined offense, the Boston Red Sox have finally found their footing. Boston rode a 10-game winning streak into the All-Star break, and firmly cemented itself as a buyer before the upcoming trade deadline.
The Red Sox have plenty of assets to potentially sell for top-tier pitching or a power bat to keep up with their intense second-half schedule, but the major league outfield has been the most eye-catching as of late. After Roman Anthony's promotion and Masataka Yoshida's return to action, the Sox's pastures are packed — Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder are also among the outfielders gunning for three spots.
The Sox have remained optimistic about their outfield logjam, and manager Alex Cora went as far as saying it's a "luxury" to have so many talented players in the same position group. But he also gave Boston reason to believe the outfield may become more consistent in the coming weeks.
"Roman needs to play the outfield. He cannot be a DH at 21," he said, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.
Alex Cora gives biggest indication yet that Red Sox will trade an outfielder before the trade deadline
Alex Cora recently said, “Roman (Anthony) needs to play the outfield. He cannot be a DH at 21,” https://t.co/gWlRoaGfli
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) July 14, 2025
Cora has previously mentioned that the Red Sox's outfield will be quite flexible — Yoshida and Refsnyder will platoon in matchup-based situations, and Rafaela will see some reps in the infield. Anthony is the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball and the future of the franchise, so his position and playing time should be guaranteed. Boston will need to trade an outfielder to do so, and there are two odd men out among them.
Duran is the clearest option because his stock is high due to his long contract and recent MVP-caliber season. Abreu is right behind him, in the throes of his best season yet and fresh off a Gold Glove-winning campaign in 2024. Craig Breslow has mentioned starting pitching as one of the Sox's biggest needs at the deadline, and Duran or Abreu would go a long way toward netting long-term rotation help. The Padres remain "enamored" with Duran, per recent reports, and he seems like the likeliest trade candidate out of the outfield to continue the Red Sox's youth movement. Refsnyder is on an expiring contract, but he's a lefty killer and one of the critical leaders in the clubhouse.
The Red Sox don't need to trade from their outfield now — having too many good players in a position group isn't a bad problem. But Anthony should be playing every day, Rafaela has no business playing the infield after his league-best defense has saved the Red Sox on so many occasions and Abreu is amid a breakout. Boston has options, and it needs to determine the best ones to compete in the second half and make the postseason for the first time in four years.