The Houston Astros have a strong roster from top to bottom. But, there is still a very clear need in the outfield aside from Cam Smith and Jake Meyers. With the Boston Red Sox loaded with talent in the outfield, the Astros were urged to acquire one of the Red Sox outfielders.
Of the Red Sox's outfielders, there are three distinct options for the Astros to consider. Those options are Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddane Rafaela. All three have their perks and would be huge trades for the Astros to pull off.
Anders Pryor of Sports Illustrated made the point that the Astros should trade for one of the three Red Sox outfielders. "But getting one of the outfielders from the Red Sox could not only add some offensive depth," Pryor writes. "But give Alveraz an easier pathway to become a full-time DH."
First, Duran is the most likely to be traded. With new reporting hinting at Duran being available, and other teams around the MLB interested in Duran, he is the most likely to be traded.
In his 2025 season so far, Duran has a .271 batting average with 18 doubles and seven triples. Duran also has incredible speed, which further provides the Astros with reason to acquire the All-Star outfielder.
Abreu, on the other hand, is banged up. He's on the injured list and is expected to be back soon. But his injury likely means the Astros would have to wait on an Abreu trade. While Abreu has been solid, he hasn't been the same player he was at to start of the year.
Lastly, Rafaela provides a huge spark on defense. He's one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball and would provide a huge boost in center field for the Astros. The Astros, with a clear need in left field, or the outfield in general, should look to the Red Sox in the trade market.
After Roman Anthony was called up, the Red Sox's outfield became crowded. Once Abreu is back and Anthony has been in the big leagues for over a week, the Red Sox could be willing to part with one of their outfielders.
Duran is the target. He'd provide the best combination of speed, defense, and offense for the Astros, and allow Jose Altuve to move back to second base full-time.