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Red Sox have outfielders to spare, but only Ceddanne Rafaela would interest Blue Jays

Nate Eaton trade starts to clear Red Sox outfield logjam, but the Blue Jays aren't a natural fit for other moves.
ByMatthew Sookram
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Aug 19, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) reacts after a home run was hit by second baseman Nick Sogard (not seen during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Aug 19, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) reacts after a home run was hit by second baseman Nick Sogard (not seen during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox took their first step toward clearing a crowded outfield last week, trading Nate Eaton to the Athletics. It’s a small move but even without Eaton, Boston still has more outfielders than they have spots. Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are locked in at center and right field after strong 2026 seasons. Rafaela earned his first All-Star nod and Abreu started 153 games. Both are under team control for years to come.

Roman Anthony is still viewed as the long-term answer in left field. Jarren Duran is coming off a down year, Masataka Yoshida is entering the final year of his five-year, $90 million deal, and Kristian Campbell is still waiting for his shot. Boston has been putting off a real solution for a few years now.

Duran is the most obvious trade candidate. The problem is his value has taken a hit. Duran hit .207/.266/.361 with 20 homers and 69 RBI, finishing in the bottom five among 135 qualified hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and wRC+ (69).

The next obvious candidate is Yoshida who is owed $18 million next season. While he slashed a respectable .274/.347/.399 in 87 games, he also only managed to hit five home runs. At 32-years-old, he could be released by the Red Sox if they don't find any takers.

Both Yoshida and Duran are left-handed hitters as well and that makes Rafaela the only real fit for the Blue Jays. However, Rafaela is under contract through 2031 with an AAV of $6.25 million – a bargain for a player who’s still getting better.

The 26-year-old right-handed hitter has hit exactly 16 home runs in each of the last two seasons and also struck out exactly 117 times in both. He took a major step forward in his overall offensive game in 2026, slashing .285/.321/.444 with a .764 OPS and a 110 wRC+. He hit more line drives (22.8% compared to 17.2% in 2025) and made less soft contact (15.2% compared to 18%).

Rafaela also has some speed, with 17 steals last year and 20 the year before. He’s also a terrific defender with a +16 OAA and +16 FRV in 2026 after posting +22 and +22 respectively in 2025.

The Blue Jays would love to have this guy – so would pretty much every other team. It doesn’t make sense for the Red Sox to move him, but he’s the only guy Toronto would conceivably be interested in as Boston looks to alleviate its outfield logjam.

The Blue Jays don't need to help Boston and can actually make things worse for them via free agency

The Red Sox are too left-handed heavy at the moment, just like the Blue Jays. That’s why the Blue Jays need to pounce on the free-agent right-handed outfield options before the Red Sox do. They’ll both likely be going after guys like Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena or switch-hitting Ian Happ.

Arozarena has hit at least 20 homers and stolen at least 20 bases each of the past six seasons. This year, he posted a career-best slash line of .281/.381/.484 with 34 doubles, 26 homers and 26 stolen bases, while leading the AL with 113 runs scored.

Suzuki is coming off the best year of his MLB career. He had a .270/.368/.473 slash line with 26 homers and a 131 OPS+. Over the past five seasons Suzuki averaged over 20 homers per season and an OPS+ of at least 125 over the past four seasons.

Happ has hit at least 20 homers in five of the past six seasons, including 24 home runs in 2026 with an on-base percentage of .326. While Happ has been a consistent performer for most of his career, his batting average dipped to .218 this past season and his strikeout increased.

It would be nice for the Blue Jays to take a budding star off the hands of their division rival with a trade for Rafaela, but it would also likely cost them a rising prospect of their own. What makes more sense is for the Blue Jays to take away alternative options from the Red Sox on the free-agent market and watch them dump a guy like Duran or Yoshida.

Sometimes the best move against a division rival isn’t a trade at all – it’s getting to the bats they need first.

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