Red Sox Reportedly Exploring Trade Of Young Outfielders; Could Move Be Coming Soon?

Boston could end up trading one of its fan-favorite outfielders shortly

The Boston Red Sox officially are on the board.

Boston has had a slow offseason so far while failing to land young ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto despite showing interest in him. The Red Sox didn't make any sizable moves -- aside from acquiring former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill -- while waiting to see if they could get Yamamoto but missed out.

The Red Sox have regrouped and now have made their first major move of the offseason. Boston reportedly landed one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito on Friday night but still has more work to do.

There have been rumblings that the club could end up trading at least one of their young outfielders and that reportedly still is the case, according to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier. 

"And according to major league sources, the Sox have continued to explore trades involving their group of young outfielders — they currently have left-handed hitters Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu, as well as right-handed hitters Tyler O’Neill, Rob Refsnyder, and Ceddanne Rafaela," Speier said. "If the Sox deal from that group to add a pitcher, they could then return to the free-agent market to add a bat such as slugger Teoscar Hernández, in whom the team remains interested even after signing Giolito.

If the Red Sox were to trade an outfielder this offseason, the two most likely candidates are Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. Both Duran and Abreu have shown flashes at the big league level and could help bring back help for the starting rotation. 

At this point, it's unclear what the Red Sox will do, but don't be surprised if one of the two outfielders is playing elsewhere when the 2024 season comes around.

More MLB: Ex-Yankees All-Star Mentioned As Fit For Red Sox In Free Agency