The Red Sox had a big night on the defensive awards front Sunday, with Caleb Durbin, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu all coming away with Gold Gloves for their work in the 2026 MLB season.
Boston entered the evening with three finalists in the American League, and all three turned those bids into hardware.
Durbin landed the first Gold Glove of his career in only his second major league season. The Red Sox third baseman put together a strong defensive year, tying for the AL lead with five runs prevented and six outs above average. That combination of range and reliability made him one of the league’s top defenders at the position.
Durbin also gave Boston a bit of history. He became the first Red Sox third baseman to win a Gold Glove since Frank Malzone in 1959.
Rafaela kept his run going with a second straight Gold Glove after another standout season in center field. He finished with 17 outs above average, a total topped only by Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had 26. Rafaela also led all of MLB with 10 five-star catches, according to Statcast, with those plays carrying a 0-25% probability of being completed.
For Abreu, the honor made it three Gold Gloves in three big league seasons. The Red Sox right fielder continued to build a reputation as one of the game’s most dependable defenders, and his 2026 numbers backed it up. The Fielding Bible credited him with 28 defensive runs saved, the most of any player in MLB.
Taken together, the three awards gave Boston a clean sweep of its AL finalists and put a spotlight on the glove work that helped define the Red Sox season.
In Other News...
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Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com has floated the idea that Boston could pursue a trade for Cincinnatis Elly De La Cruz, a name that would bring plenty of attention anywhere it lands. It is still only speculation, but it underscores how aggressively the Red Sox are being discussed this winter and why any move involving a player of that caliber would be viewed as one of the most significant swings in the American League. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Made An Important Garrett Whitlock Decision
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The deadline for these calls came right after the World Series, and Boston also had a notable decision on the other side of the ledger, declining Sonny Grays $30 million mutual option and sending him into free agency. For the Red Sox, Whitlocks return gives them certainty in a key spot, while the Gray move underscores how quickly the roster picture can shift once the offseason starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]