The Boston Red Sox undoubtedly have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, one that is more than capable of winning a World Series title. However, with an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league across the board, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has his work cut out for him as he looks to build a contender in 2027. 

Despite a strong young core of cost-controlled players, Breslow faces a precarious financial position heading into the offseason, with the team already well into the second luxury tax apron before making any roster additions. 

As Breslow looks to improve his roster, these five players could find themselves in trade talks as he seeks more financial flexibility. 

The 30-year-old outfielder has been the most persistent name in early-season trade rumors involving the Red Sox. Now two years removed from a top-10 finish in American League MVP voting, Duran is coming off the worst season of his big-league career. In 151 games, Duran hit .207/.266/.361/.627 with 20 home runs, 15 doubles, and five triples, driving in 69 runs. Among 135 qualified hitters, Duran finished the year in the bottom five in batting average (.207, 132nd), on-base percentage (.266, 134th), and weighted runs created plus (69, 134th).

Thanks to his 2024 season, Duran’s projected arbitration figure is an inflated $11.1 million. With Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu as the likely pillars of the outfield for the next half-decade, this feels like the offseason when the outfield logjam is finally sorted. With Duran being the oldest and closest to free agency, he remains the likely odd man out. 

According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox are “open” to moving one or both of Yoshida and Duran. For the 33-year-old designated hitter, this will be the third straight offseason he's seen his name in trade rumors. 

Since signing a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox ahead of the 2023 season, things haven’t gone exactly to plan for Yoshida after seven successful seasons in Japan’s NPB. In 390 major league games, Yoshida is hitting a respectable .280/.339/.420/.759 with 34 home runs, 81 doubles and 182 RBI. However, given his defensive limitations and an already crowded outfield picture, he has become a poor fit for the Red Sox roster. 

Given those defensive limitations, it has proven tough for Boston to find a taker for his $18 million annual salary. However, in the final year of his deal, could a DH-needy team be willing to take on Yoshida’s contract with either no prospect sweetener or a lesser prospect added on? Regardless, moving on from Yoshida is a fairly easy way to create $18 million in flexibility. 

Like Yoshida, the soon-to-be 34-year-old shortstop is entering the final year of the six-year, $140 million deal he signed with the Red Sox ahead of the 2022 season. Story’s Red Sox tenure has been defined by injuries, as he’s been limited to only 384 games in five seasons. With top prospect Franklin Arias knocking on the door to the big leagues and the team’s continued exploration of the shortstop trade market, the writing seems to be on the wall for Story. However, the only question is whether anyone will take on the $25 million he is owed for 2027. 

Story has struggled to a line of .245/.296/.404/.701 in his five years in Boston. That poor performance at the plate, paired with diminishing defensive skills, makes it hard to imagine that teams will be jumping to take on his contract without a significant prospect sweetener. 

The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off the strangest season of his now five-year big league career. After struggling mightily as a starter, Bello was shifted to a bulk relief role, where he thrived. However, after giving up eight earned runs in a start against the Baltimore Orioles on June 6, Bello was optioned to Triple-A Worcester to "rediscover his love of baseball." 

After spending a little over a month in Worcester, Bello returned to Boston and turned his season around, posting a 2.11 ERA in 14 appearances, primarily as a bulk reliever. As the Boston rotation got taxed at season's end, the team shifted Bello back to a traditional starter role, where he performed well, allowing only one earned run on 13 hits over three starts.

Bello is entering year four of the six-year, $55-million contract extension signed in 2024. While he is owed a manageable $8.6 million in 2027, his salary jumps to $16.1 million and $19.1 million in the final two years. 

With Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, and Tanner Houck in the mix for the fifth starter role in the rotation, and Breslow naming pitching depth as an area of need, Bello could be the odd man out as the team looks to bring in cheaper, more controllable options. 

A former top 10 prospect in baseball, Campbell spent the entire 2026 season in Triple-A Worcester reworking his swing. In 109 games for Worcester, the 24-year-old hit .256/.383/.380/.763 with eight home runs and 22 doubles, drove in 51 runs, and shifted to a full-time outfielder role. 

2027 will be the third year of the eight-year, $60-million contract Campbell signed shortly after the 2025 season began. While he is owed only $3.75 million in 2027, he still carries a $7.5 million luxury tax hit. 

While that is certainly not an albatross, the last time Campbell played at the major-league level, he posted a slash line of .159/.243/.222/.465 over 38 games. If Campbell were to be traded, the Red Sox would almost certainly be selling at a much lower value than his former prospect stock would indicate, and with a reasonable hit of $7.5 million, it would stand to reason that the Red Sox would rather see him back at the major league level before giving up on him. However, with the outfield logjam still intact, the Red Sox may try to capitalize on whatever value Campbell has remaining and move on.