Red Sox insider says Boston can't afford to protect surprising outfielder from trades

The Boston Red Sox's offseason needs were made crystal clear in their Wild Card Round loss to the New York Yankees. A No. 2 starter, a few more high-leverage relievers, and a whole bunch of power hitters will be atop Craig Breslow's holiday shopping list.

The issue is that those types of players are rather expensive in free agency, and the Red Sox already have a lot of money committed to their 2026 roster.

So, how does one go about getting good MLB players on cheap contracts? The trade market, of course.

However, that too presents an issue, this time in the form of the old adage, "You need to give something to get something." The Red Sox have plenty of prospect and MLB talent to trade, though a lot of the players are considered core members of the next competitive window.

What's the solution to this predicament? According to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, it may be time to trade players who were previously thought to be untouchable.

Ceddanne Rafaela, other blue-chip Red Sox prospects floated as trade bait by insider

Abraham noted that Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, Carlos Narváez, and Aroldis Chapman should all be kept safe under lock and key in offseason trade talks. Beyond that, though, the reporter is ready for Breslow to take a sledgehammer to the rest of the core.

"Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Marcelo Mayer, and Ceddanne Rafaela cannot be untouchable. The same has to be true of Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and any other young pitcher if it means bringing back a legitimate No. 2 starter with strikeout stuff and the ability to work deep into games," the reporter wrote.

There's a lot to unpack there, from the mentions of Mayer and Duran to the inclusion of practically every notable pitching prospect in the organization. However, it's Rafaela's name that sticks out like the sorest thumb, for one reason in particular: he already signed an extension.

Rafaela's eight-year, $50 million contract (that comes equipped with a team option for 2032) ties him to the Red Sox for longer than anyone else Abraham mentioned by name in his piece, and it's hard to imagine the team giving up on a Platinum Glove candidate who is just 25 years old and has an AAV of $6.25 million.

Of course, the outfield logjam remains a Rubik's Cube Breslow has yet to solve, and there's a good chance he trades one Boston's outfielders in exchange for more talent elsewhere. It's just that after months of speculation that it would be Duran or Abreu moved, it's difficult to digest Rafaela being a part of those discussions, especially after he had a career year at the plate (16 homers, 20 steals, 91 wRC+).

But, you need to give something to get something, and Rafaela could fetch a mighty high price on the trade market. Unthinkable? Maybe. Unreasonable? Not at all.