On the evening of Nov. 3, Rawlings announced the winners of its Gold Glove Award. Wilyer Abreu became the Boston Red Sox's first rookie winner since 1975, when Fred Lynn won the award.
When the initial finalist announcement was made, the young lefty seemed like a lock for the award. He was up against the Yankees' Juan Soto and the Angels' Jo Adell, who posted negative five and one outs above average, respectively. Abreu clocked seven outs above average while playing half his games in one of the hardest right fields in MLB.
Somehow, the award only complicates Boston's offseason decisions regarding Abreu's future.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and other front office members have been clear that no players are off the trade block this winter, and Abreu has been popular in trade projections. But Rawlings just proved that the Red Sox may not find a better right fielder to take his position next year, at least in the American League.
Along with Abreu, Jarren Duran and Triston Casas have appeared frequently in trade projections. Duran posted an MVP-caliber season in 2024 and Casas is young, wields a powerful bat and has many years of team control remaining on his contract. All three players are great in their own ways and have the potential to make the Sox better in the long run, but as they say, teams need to trade talent to get talent.
Cue the ✨Gold Glove✨ highlights. pic.twitter.com/RdwSCb9Mv1
— Red Sox (@RedSox) November 4, 2024
Wilyer Abreu's Gold Glove could make it easier for the Red Sox to trade him, or harder to justify giving him up
The Gold Glove award is decided through a vote by AL managers and coaches, which means Abreu's rookie season was well-respected by other organizations throughout the league. He led all AL outfielders with 17 defensive runs saved and he posted nine outfield assists — a stellar defensive record for a rookie, especially one who wasn't a highly touted prospect.
Abreu also posted a solid offensive season in 2024. He slashed .253/.322/.459 with two triples, 15 homers and led all rookies with 33 doubles.
Abreu's Gold Glove has raised his trade value to an all-time high. Duran's 2024 campaign did the same for him, though, which leaves the Red Sox with a tough choice. Boston's lineup is packed with lefties, which both Abreu and Duran are, and the outfield doesn't have enough slots for both of them, Rob Refsnyder, Ceddanne Rafaela, Masataka Yoshida and Roman Anthony.
But the Red Sox front office will have to think long and hard about which lefty outfielder will remain next season. Breslow mentioned that any player could be on the trade block, but Abreu and Duran seem like the two likeliest choices.