Throughout the offseason, the Boston Red Sox have been the focus of trade speculations, the most of which have targeted the outfield in some capacity. That’s going to happen when you have Boston’s caliber of players. Along with Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Masataka Yoshida, among others, Boston has Roman Anthony as a focal point to develop the team around going forward.
The general conversation is a result of the limited number of spaces available. However, this was also true last summer.
Before the trade deadline, Boston decided not to trade from the surplus. It’s possible that this offseason will go the same way. However, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed one option from each team and ranked Duran as Boston’s top possible trade candidate if the Red Sox do decide to send an outfielder away.
Should the Red Sox swing a deal?
Feinsand stated, “Red Sox: Jarren Duran, OF.” With Duran joining Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu as starting options, Boston’s outfield is, to put it mildly, crowded. Despite a decline following his breakthrough 2024 season, Duran still recorded a 3.9 fWAR in 2025, hitting 16 home runs with 84 RBIs and a league-high 13 triples. Duran will be under club control for three more seasons.
The idea of a trade involving Duran has been talked about for months at this point. He’s 29 years old and could help any team looking to bolster the outfield. Mock trades have popped up all over the place and insiders alike have continuously pointed to him as someone who could be on the move. It makes sense from the perspective that the Red Sox have a lot of talent in the outfield and Duran could bring back a solid return, but what’s the goal now? Boston already has landed a starting pitcher in Sonny Gray. If the idea is targeting another hurler, sure. But Boston’s offense had question marks down the stretch and Duran is someone who can do a bit of everything and was a bright spot.
This talk about Duran should remain that unless the objective is to add a young, inexpensive starting pitcher.