Few players in baseball evoke pure intimidation at the plate like legends such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Babe Ruth—but against the Texas Rangers, Wilyer Abreu has put himself in that rare company.
For reasons still unclear, Abreu consistently dominates Rangers pitching, boasting a staggering .500 average with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, and 7 extra-base hits in just 22 at-bats.
These are eye-popping numbers, and if the Rangers could somehow add Abreu to their roster, they might finally provide their pitchers the run support they’ve sorely lacked. The big question is whether Abreu is even available—and there’s reason to believe he could be.
The Red Sox are in a unique position, balancing a looming youth movement with a deep veteran lineup, and holding the top-ranked farm system in baseball. With top prospect Roman Anthony pushing for a call-up, Boston may soon be forced to make a tough roster decision.
Jarren Duran is likely off-limits, but that puts Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela in direct competition. While Abreu’s bat has been better this season, Rafaela holds the edge defensively as a center fielder.
This outfield logjam complicates Boston’s ability to promote Anthony and may make a trade inevitable. Given Boston’s need for young pitching to support Garrett Crochet, the Rangers—who are well-stocked with pitching prospects—could be ideal trade partners.
Acquiring Abreu won’t come cheap. A likely package could include a mix of top arms like Alejandro Rosario, Mitch Bratt, or Kohl Drake, and position players such as Dylan Dreiling, Justin Foscue, or Abimelec Ortiz.
An initial offer might look like Bratt, Foscue, and Marc Church, though even that might fall short. Including someone like Kohl Drake or even dangling Kumar Rocker might be necessary to seal the deal.
Ultimately, adding Wilyer Abreu wouldn’t just improve the Rangers’ struggling offense—it would also guarantee they never have to face his bat again. And that might be the best reason of all to make the move.
