Sometimes a trade looks fine in the moment and then, years later, starts to look like a steal. That’s where the Boston Red Sox stand with Wilyer Abreu.
Abreu didn’t come up through Boston’s system. The Red Sox got him from the Houston Astros in the deal that sent Christian Vasquez to Houston before the 2022 MLB trade deadline, and Enmanuel Valdez also came back to Boston in the swap.
“Vázquez was headed into free agency at the end of the 2022 season,” writes Brian Burrows of BoSox Injection. “He was having one of his best offensive seasons, and (Chaim) Bloom decided to cash in. It felt odd trading away the starting catcher, but this one ultimately worked out.”
What has made the trade age so well is Abreu himself. He has already won two Gold Gloves and has become a dependable left-handed bat for the Red Sox.
That kind of return is not the norm when a team deals away a player on an expiring contract. More often, the package coming back is full of uncertainty, not a player who quickly settles in as a steady everyday piece.
Boston appears to have identified the right player in Abreu, and he now looks like someone the Red Sox can count on for years. For Houston, it’s the kind of move that has to sting a little.
Whether Abreu would have developed the same way in the Astros’ organization is impossible to know. What is clear is that Boston has every reason to feel good about the trade it made four years ago.
In Other News...
Red Sox Made A Tough Roster Call At Shortstop
The Red Sox made a quiet but meaningful roster shift by adding Curtis Mead to the active roster and sending rookie infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to Triple-A Worcester. Cheng had spent about a month on the major league roster and, even with modest production at the plate, gave Boston the kind of steady defense it needed while the club sorted out shortstop.
Cheng handled the position cleanly, working 116 innings there without an error and giving the Red Sox a reliable glove in a spot that can expose inexperience fast. The move opens a path for Mead, but it does not necessarily close the book on Cheng, who could still find his way back later as a bench infielder if Boston needs another dependable option. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Finally Have A Real Answer At Catcher
With the trade deadline approaching, the Red Sox are still weighing ways to stabilize a catcher situation that has lingered as a roster question. One name in the mix is Minnesotas Ryan Jeffers, a rental bat who would give Boston a much different look at the position and, at least on paper, help address the offense-first side of the job while leaving room for Carlos Narvez to handle more of the defensive burden.
The appeal is obvious for a club trying to stay in the Wild Card picture, but the rest of the equation is murkier. Jeffers has been productive when healthy, yet he also missed two months with a hamate injury, and there is no assurance the Twins will even entertain moving him, particularly to a direct competitor in the American League race. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Hit A Trade Deadline Crossroads With Zach Neto
After dealing Connelly Early to Washington for Curtis Mead, the Red Sox are still looking for ways to keep adding before the deadline, and Los Angeles Angels slugger Zach Neto has emerged as one of the more intriguing names on their board. He makes sense as an offensive fit for Boston, which is part of why the interest has lingered, but the appeal comes with the usual deadline complication: a player who fits a need can still be priced beyond what a front office wants to pay.
Bostons challenge is deciding how far it is willing to go if it keeps pushing on Neto. The Red Sox have other ways to structure a deal, potentially using different prospects to keep their top young talent intact, but that only underscores the crossroads they are facing. For a club trying to balance immediate help with long-term depth, the question is not whether Neto belongs on the radar. It is whether the cost of getting him is the kind Boston can justify. [Read more 🡒]