After a solid rookie season, Wilyer Abreu has been on an absolute tear to start 2025. He’s been a bright spot on a Red Sox team that hasn’t had quite the start they’d hoped for and has seemingly solidified his place in right field, despite the abundance of outfield talent the Sox have in their organization.

So far, he’s slashing . OPS+. He has three homers, five doubles, 12 RBIs and 13 walks. He’s also shown off his defensive prowess, most notably with an outstanding throw to nail Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar at third base last week.

After being frequently mentioned in trade talks this offseason, Abreu may have played his way into an extension early in 2025. Given the extensions that the Red Sox have already given out to begin the season, he could certainly be next in line. Per a recent report, they haven’t approached Abreu about an extension yet, but that could change if he continues to put up big numbers.

Wilyer Abreu’s hot start to 2025 season could be fuel for Red Sox extension

Abreu’s stellar play, coupled with the Red Sox’s recent propensity for handing out extensions, means he’s a serious candidate for a new contract. With Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell already signed long-term, Boston is proving it’s willing to spend what it takes to keep young talent around.

The Red Sox might want to wait to give Abreu a larger sample size, since he probably won’t be able to sustain a near-1.000 OPS for an entire season. Further complicating matters is that the Sox have so many contenders for playing time in the outfield. When Roman Anthony debuts, he’ll likely force one of the existing outfielders out of the lineup. Right now, that probably won’t be Abreu, but it remains to be seen whether he can maintain his current pace.

If Abreu did receive an extension, it’s likely that it’d be in the same range as Campbell. Abreu does have more experience than Campbell, but the Sox aren’t expecting as much out of him and he’s older, so the length of the contract would likely be shorter, maybe around five or six years.
In all likelihood, though, the Red Sox will wait to see how sustainable his play is, and that seems to be OK with Abreu, who has said that he’s remaining relaxed and trying not to think about his contract situation too much.