Craig Breslow made it clear that he had no intention of trading Wilyer Abreu nor any of the other Boston Red Sox outfielders over the offseason, despite conventional wisdom being that clearing out the glut was in the best interest of the club.
It may have seemed strange, but there could be a reason why. Jarren Duran was the most rumored name to be on the move, but Abreu wasn't that far behind. The 26-year-old member of Team Venezuela would have commanded a high price, given his four years of team control, two consecutive Gold Gloves, and solid offensive performance.
But in holding on to the right fielder, Boston might believe that there's another level on the horizon. Red Sox announcer Lou Merloni certainly thinks so, noting that Abreu has made several positive strides that are on display in the World Baseball Classic. Those advancements have Merloni proclaiming that Abreu is "about to blow up."
Through three games with Venezuela, Abreu is hitting .250/.231/.250 in the WBC. In a sample that small, it's not the numbers that matter but how the at-bats look.
Abreu's swing is so much shorter. He's seeing the ball so well. His shorter swing is allowing him to see the ball longer and has improved his plate discipline. I need to slow down with how good I think he's looked. He's about to blow up.
— Lou Merloni (@LouMerloni) March 6, 2026
Red Sox announcer Lou Merloni notes several tweaks Wilyer Abreu has made that could lead to a 2026 breakout
The primary tweak that Merloni noticed was a shortening of Abreu's swing, which he believes will help him see the ball longer and, in turn, has improved his plate discipline. If true, it could unlock another part of Abreu's game.
We've already seen some power gains from him, after he increased his homer total from 15 during his rookie season to 22 over the 2025 campaign despite playing 17 fewer games. Now, if he can raise his average and on-base skills as a result of the shortened swing, he'll unlock another level offensively.
For his career, Abreu is already a 115 wRC+ performer, meaning he's already 15% better than league average offensively while playing stellar defense, but leveling up in the batter's box will take him from a very good complementary piece to a potential star.
This has the potential to be a double-edged development for the Red Sox. The obvious benefit is that a supercharged offensive performance from Abreu would provide a substantial boost to the lineup. However, after failing to come to an extension agreement in 2024 and not revisiting the discussions this past winter, they could find that his asking price has risen considerably when they inevitably return to the negotiating table.
Boston is typically on the right side of these long-term extensions, but if things go for Abreu as Merloni expects, this could be one of the times the club truly missed the boat. That's a problem for later, though. For now, we'll be watching intently to see if Abreu's offseason work translates into the predicted offensive breakthrough that could be a game-changer for the Red Sox's 2026 hopes.