It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Boston Red Sox will trade a starting-caliber outfielder this winter, and such a move would certainly make sense.
For a team with roster holes and playoff aspirations, trading from a position of strength to fortify any weaknesses is a no-brainer. And with a roster boasting four quality outfield starters – Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Roman Anthony – the Red Sox have long been expected to part with one of them.
But the name that ultimately gets moved might not be the one everyone is expecting.
Red Sox Insider Predicts Offseason Trade Involving Ceddanne Rafaela
Throughout the 2025 season, speculation was rampant over the potential for Boston to make a deal that involves Duran. In the months leading up to the trade deadline, MLB analysts spent countless hours at keyboards typing up trade ideas that sent Duran, an All-Star and MVP candidate in 2024, to various clubs, usually in exchange for a top starting pitcher.
The in-season trade never materialized by July 31, allowing such talk to cool off just a bit as the Red Sox made their late charge into the postseason. And now with the offseason period of wheeling and dealing approaching, the rumors and conversations seem destined to pick back up until a transaction finally takes place.
However, the Red Sox could be prepared to throw everyone a curve. In a roundtable column for MassLive making “bold predictions” about what Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow could do to get ready for Opening Day 2026, Chris Cotillo suggested that the best player traded by the team over the next several months will be … Rafaela.
“My hot take of the winter is that the Red Sox are going to find Duran’s value to be lower than they expect and Rafaela’s to be much higher than expected across the game,” Cotillo opined. “Therefore, headlining a trade package with Rafaela — most teams won’t balk at the six years and $48 million (plus a club option) he’s guaranteed — can’t be ruled out.”
Gold Glove Bolsters Trade Value of Red Sox Center Fielder Ceddanne Rafaela
There’s a healthy dose of logic behind this hot take.
The 25-year-old Rafaela has emerged as an elite defensive outfielder in MLB, and on Sunday, he was awarded his first Gold Glove as the American League’s top center fielder. Andruw Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner who is widely considered one of the best defensive players in baseball history, recently praised the glove work of his fellow Curaçao native.
“I like his enthusiasm,” Jones said to Curaçaoan sports site Falki Deportivo. “He’s fearless out there.”
While not a lineup lynchpin, Rafaela has shown flashes of being a solid offensive contributor, and he finished this season with 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and 84 runs scored. And with a contract that carries an average annual salary of $6.25 million, would be an enticing addition to most any roster.
Cotillo acknowledged that trading Rafaela “is not Plan A for the Sox,” but after a down year offensively for Duran – who on Tuesday signed a one-year deal for $7.7 million after Boston declined his $8 million option for next season – a package that includes Rafaela could be the key to the team’s goal of acquiring a pitcher to pair with Garrett Crochet at the top of the rotation.
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