Red Sox Tabbed to Trade Abreu and Duran For 101 mph, No. 2 Pick Righty

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Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox makes a catch in front of Jarren Duran.

The Boston Red Sox are on the hunt for a No. 2 starter to strengthen their rotation after ace Garrett Crochet, who delivered a Cy Young-worthy season in his debut campaign for Boston after a blockbuster offseason trade from the Chicago White Sox. Crochet led all of MLB in strikeouts with 255, won 18 games and posted a 2.59 ERA.

But Crochet was just one of five starters, and the Red Sox needed more from the rest of their rotation.

“No one will sit in the seat and say that there’s enough pitching in the organization,” chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow said at a postseason press conference. “I think we saw that in the second half, and we could list out the pitchers that were on the IL. And it just means that depth is so critically important. So like I said, when we talk about pursuing opportunities to improve the team, bringing in pitching is certainly one of them.”

Red Sox Trade Target: Hunter Greene

On Tuesday, a potential target for Breslow emerged, as MLB.com reported that Cincinnati Reds 26-year-old fireballing righty Hunter Greene could be on the trade market this offseason, as the pitching-rich, hitting-poor Reds look to bring in new offensive threats.

According to one commentator, the Red Sox have the offensive talent to spare, in two players especially, in order to entice the Reds to ship Greene to Boston.

Greene was the most highly anticipated prospect in the 2017 MLB draft, and the Reds acted accordingly, selecting the Los Angeles high schooler with the second overall pick in the draft. (Another Californian, shortstop Royce Lewis, went to the Minnesota Twins at No. 1.)

He continued to be a top prospect in the minor leagues, throwing a fastball clocked at 102 mph in the 2018 Futures Game. But he suffered setbacks when Tommy John surgery wiped out the 2019 season for him, and the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season for all minor league players.

Reds Must Receive Big League Talent For Greene

As a result, his development at the Major League level, after debuting on April 10, 2022, has been perhaps slower than the Reds would have hoped. Nonetheless, in 2025, Greene was clocked at 101 mph in the ninth inning of a start against the Chicago Cubs on September 18 — Greene’s first career complete game shutout.

“Even after a disappointing postseason debut vs. the Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, Greene still could be an attractive trade chip in the Reds‘ pockets. Moving him would free up salary to sign a bat this offseason or bring back a hitter in return, and a change of scenery could benefit him,” wrote Reds correspondent Mark Sheldon.

But the MLB.com writer had a caveat attached to any prospective trade for Greene.

“This can’t be a salary dump for prospects,” Sheldon wrote. “If Greene is traded, Major League talent would have to come back to make it work.”

The Red Sox have the Major League talent that, at least in theory, could do it.

Red Sox Make Sense For Greene Trade

“The Red Sox make a ton of sense,” wrote Robbie Hyde of Foul Territory, speculating on a Greene trade. “Reds need bats and the Red Sox could center a package around Jarren Duran/Wilyer Abreu.”

A combination of Duran, who belted 16 home runs in 2025, and the 26-year-old Abreu — who hit 22 despite being limited to just 373 at-bats due to an oblique injury in June, and a calf strain in August would provide the Reds with an immediate offensive boost.

Even if they surrendered the two outfielders, the Red Sox would still have their own former No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony in the outfield to go with elite defensive centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela to go with, possibly, the organization’s current No. 3 prospect Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia taking over the third outfield spot.

Garcia struggled in his brief stint with the Major League club this season, but hit 23 home runs 412 at-bats at the minor league level.

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin