1 spring training position battle that could shape Red Sox season

The Boston Red Sox made a significant climb back towards American League title contention last year when they made the playoffs. Their stay in the postseason was a short one, as they beat the Yankees in Game 1 of the Wild Card series before losing the next two and seeing their season come to an end.

The Red Sox wanted to build their offense during the offseason as they were expected to go after slugging 1st baseman Pete Alonso and attempt to retain Alec Bregman at 3rd base. They made lukewarm efforts to get both of those players and fell short. They were unable to sign free agent infielder Bo Bichette as well.

However, while the Red Sox did not make a major offensive adjustments during free agency, the added top starting pitcher Ranger Suarez during free agency and also traded for veteran hurler Sonny Gray. The starting pitching looks solid with Garrett Crochet at the top of the rotation followed by Suarez, Gray, Johan Oviedo and Brayan Bello.

But there are major and legitimate questions about the team’s lack of power. If statistical preseason projections from FanGraphs are correct, the Red Sox don’t have a player who expected to hit 20 home runs in 2026.

General manager Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora are certainly hoping to overcome those predictions. They are expecting outfielder-designated hitter Roman Anthony to become a superstar in his second season.

The Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras to play first base from the St. Louis Cardinals and they are hoping he can hit 20 home runs or more. He is a 3-time All-Star who has hit 20 home runs or more 5 times in his career.

Trevor Story finally stayed healthy last year and he belted 25 home runs and drove in 96 runs, and there’s no reason he can’t reach or better those numbers if he can avoid injuries.

Crowded outfield for Red Sox

The Red Sox have a crowded outfield situation that Cora is going to have to contend with in spring training and beyond if no deals are made.

The Red Sox are hoping that Anthony becomes a dominant player in his second season at Fenway Park. Ceddanne Rafaela is a Gold Glove-winning centerfielder. He can chase down fly balls as well as any American League centerfielder but he is a hot and cold hitter. Rafaela can lift the team when he is on an offensive hot streak, but he can also go into long slumps. He will be in the lineup on an every-game basis.

They also have Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. The Red Sox have gone with Duran in left field, Rafaela in center and Abreu in right field for a majority of games in the last two seasons. However, they don’t want to use a young player like Anthony as a strict designated hitter at the age of 21. They would prefer that Anthony plays left field on a regular basis.

Battle between Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu

That leaves Duran and Abreu in a battle for right field. There were rumors throughout the offseason that Duran would be traded to a team that needs a corner outfielder — the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets were mentioned prominently — but Duran remains with the team.

It would be difficult to trade Duran. While he has not always been consistent at the plate, he plays with remarkable speed and hustle. He is a stolen base machine and an outstanding base runner. He is always a threat to stretch a single into a double, a double into a triple and take the extra base whenever he can.

Duran slashed .285/.342/.492 with 48 doubles, 14 triples and 21 home runs along with 34 stolen bases in 2024. He also won the Most Valuable Player award in the All-Star Game that season.

He was not quite as productive last season as he slashed .256/.332/.442 with 41 doubles, 13 triples and 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases.

Duran is a good but not great fielder, but he is such a hustler and hard worker that it would be hard to pull the trigger on a trade.

Abreu, like Rafaela, is a Gold Glove winner. He has a tremendous throwing arm and clearly knows how to play challenging right field at Fenway Park. Abreu is a solid power hitter who hit 15 home runs in 2024 and improved that figure to 22 in 115 games last year. Abreu could approach 30 home runs if he continues to grow and also stays healthy. He appears to be one of Cora’s favorite players.

Red Sox can defer decision

The battle between Duran and Abreu is legitimate, but the Red Sox don’t have to make a choice right away. They can leave Anthony as a DH for the short term before they finally make up their minds.

However, if they hold onto Duran and can trade Abreu for a dynamic 2nd or 3rd baseman with excellent offensive skills, that would be a winning outcome to this key position battle.

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