Craig Breslow Has Surprising Take On Red Sox’s Outfield Logjam
The Boston Red Sox’s season ended prematurely due to shortages in several key areas, including power, starting pitching and quality defense. However, one thing they have an abundance of heading into 2026 is outfielders.
With Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida and Roman Anthony all under contract next year, the Red Sox have a glut of outfielders — nearly all of whom bat from the left side. Even with the DH spot, that still leaves four players for three positions.
However, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow doesn’t view his team’s crowded outfield as a problem based on his comments during Monday’s year-end press conference. In fact, he sees it as an advantage.
“I would argue that having four outfielders capable of taking 550 at-bats is a great place to be, and I have a ton of confidence in Alex [Cora’s] ability to manage the people and the personalities,” Breslow said.
Breslow did add, however, that everything is on the table this offseason, including a potential trade of one of those outfielders for a starting pitcher.
Outfield depth is certainly important. Most teams carry at least four outfielders for a reason, either for platooning or injury depth. Cora likes to mix and match, and Boston lost multiple outfielders to lengthy injuries last season, including Yoshida, Anthony and Abreu.
Given that, it will be interesting to see how the Red Sox’s outfield shakes out next year. Boston should have one of the best defensive outfields in baseball regardless, but there’s a chance it could look considerably different.