"It wasn't the right moment to do it. So I just wanted to play and see what happened in the future. Abreu was approached around the same time as Bello and Rafaela. At that time, Abreu had just 28 games under his belt. Star prospects can get huge contracts even with less than a year of service time."
"Whatever it was, Abreu decided to bet on himself instead. Since then, he has put together two solid seasons. He got into 247 games over the past two campaigns, hitting 37 home runs and stealing 14 bases. His combined .250/.320/.464 batting line translated to a 113 wRC+, indicating he was 13% better than league average."
Wilyer Abreu rejected extension talks with the Boston Red Sox around 2024 when he had played only 28 games, deciding to play and see what the future held. The Red Sox have signed multiple players to extensions under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, including Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet, Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Aroldis Chapman. Abreu likely would have received an offer in the $40-70 million range, similar to Rafaela's $49.3 million or Campbell's $59.2 million. Over the past two seasons, Abreu has justified his decision by playing 247 games, hitting 37 home runs, stealing 14 bases, and posting a 113 wRC+, contributing 5.5 wins above replacement despite being primarily a platoon player.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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