Wilyer Abreu in the early weeks of the 2026-27 offseason brought home a third trophy for his case. The Boston Red Sox outfielder netted his third consecutive Gold Glove Award for his work in right field after leading all players with 28 defensive runs saved and two outs above average.
He also has the chance to collect another piece of hardware for his collection. Abreu has been nominated for a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award following a career-best offensive season. Randy Arozarena, Cody Bellinger, Jac Caglianone, Chase DeLauter, Riley Greene, Tristan Peters, Chandler Simpson and Mike Trout are the other finalists. FanSided has partnered with Louisville Slugger to announce the finalists and winners of this year's Silver Slugger Awards.
Abreu has a good chance to win among this crowd of finalists. He's hit more home runs than every finalist but Arozarena and he finished second in MLB in doubles. If he does end up winning the award, it could cost the Red Sox in a couple of ways.
Boston has developed a habit of extending its promising young talent early. Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kristan Campbell and Brayan Bello have all been extended. Not all of those contracts have gone exactly to plan — Campbell has been in Triple-A since last June and Bello couldn't keep it together as a starter this year — which might be why the Sox didn't sign anyone long-term in 2026.
Red Sox should've extended Wilyer Abreu before offensive breakout, Silver Slugger nomination
Abreu has only improved each year he's been in the major leagues, and he has a Gold Glove Award to go with each of those full years. He's a special defender and his newfound offensive success proves he's grown into a well-rounded player and a home run threat. Boston has lost its chance to sign Abreu for the lowest price.
Abreu is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason. A Silver Slugger victory would cement his offensive improvement and raise his potential contract price. Had the Red Sox extended him early, they wouldn't have to worry about arbitration salaries at all.
At the same time, an offensive award would raise Abreu's trade value, which is alread substantial. The Red Sox must clear their outfield logjam this offseason to accommodate the power bat they desperately need. After Jarren Duran's trade value tanked this year, Abreu might be Boston's most tradeable player. Though, since Boston is so desperate for power, it makes little sense to trade its second-best home run hitter unless it gets a 30-40 homer bat in return, and there aren't many of those to go around.
A potential Silver Slugger win for Abreu is good news for the Red Sox, regardless of the implications of his contract or trade value. Boston needs all the offense and home run power it can get and Abreu's breakout is a promising sign for the future.
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