Guardians Dubbed Top Trade Spot For Red Sox Slugger

Could the Cleveland Guardians swing a trade for this interesting Boston Red Sox outfielder?

Sep 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) follows through on a two run single against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians were eliminated from the ALCS by the New York Yankees over the weekend, and in the loss, one thing was clear: the Guardians need offense.

Cleveland's lineup was an area of weakness—or at least inconsistency—all throughout the season, and one position in which the Guardians are especially lacking is the outfield.

While Cleveland did acquire Lane Thomas at the trade deadline and has a couple of youngsters in Jhonkensy Noel and Angel Martinez who should be getting more playing time in 2025, the Guardians could definitely use another bat out there.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer has identified a potential trade target for Cleveland: Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu.

"Between Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and David Hamilton, the Red Sox have an unhealthy number of left-handed hitters," Rymer wrote.

He added that predicting one of them to get dealt "is a layup."

Could Abreu be the odd man out?

The 25-year-old is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he slashed .253/.322/459 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI over 447 plate appearances. He also played some terrific defense, registering a 10.4 UZR/150 and 17 DRS.

But the catch with Abreu is that he is under team control through 2029, and while this makes him a very attractive trade target, it also means that he will likely be very costly.

Given how many arbitration years Abreu has remaining, the Red Sox absolutely do not have to trade him, meaning they can simply wait to be blown away before actually moving him.

The Guardians are known for making shrewd trades, and they do have a pretty deep farm system. However, whether or not they would pay the potentially exorbitant cost to acquire a good—not great—player is debatable.