In the past two years, the Boston Red Sox have developed a penchant for extending their young, homegrown talent early. Part of their outfield of the future is already locked down — Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela are signed to long-term contracts.
Extending Wilyer Abreu would be an obvious next step for Boston. He's one of the best right fielders Fenway Park has seen in years, and his two-consecutive Gold Glove Awards prove it. But the Red Sox might be over their extension frenzy of the last two offseasons.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, the Red Sox haven't recently approached Abreu about an extension. The outfielder said he was last asked "a couple of years ago," which is probably 2024. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reported earlier this offseason that Boston tried to extend him before his rookie season, but he declined (subscription required).
He was right to do so. Not only has he added two trophies in his case in as many seasons, he's also grown into one of the team's top sluggers. Abreu led the 2025 Red Sox in home runs for much of the season, only to be beaten out by Trevor Story in September. Still, his 22 bombs in 115 games is a career-high.
Red Sox haven't approached Wilyer Abreu about a contract extension since 2024, but a breakout season could change that
The Red Sox seem confident that Abreu will build on that offensive success this season. Boston didn't sign a true slugger this offseason and expected that most of its power to come from homegrown players — Abreu and Anthony, in particular. Sox manager Alex Cora has said he expects Abreu to hit around 25-30 home runs this coming season, and Red Sox color announcer Lou Merloni has marveled the improvements Abreu showed at the plate during the World Baseball Classic.
If Abreu can deliver the way Cora hopes, he could be in the running for another extension offer from the Sox. His offense matching up with his elite defense would certainly be worthy of a nice payday especially if he grows into the home run leader the Red Sox envision.
Another thing will need to happen first — Abreu has to show he can stay healthy. He's never played more than 132 games in a season and he logged just 115 last year. Boston could be hesitant to extend him if he'll be on the injured list for over a month every season.
But if Abreu can stay healthy and maintain the offensive improvements he's made over a full season of work, he could be the next Red Sox player to earn a contract extension. Boston could be one great season away from having one of the best outfields in the league locked down for years to come.