Boston Red Sox fans sick of watching their team rank last in the American League in runs, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS have been desperate for major change to jolt the offense. On Wednesday, the Play Tessie podcast laid out a trade proposal designed to add major punch to the lineup in one franchise-altering move.
The Red Sox entered Tuesday at 20-27, buried in last place in the AL East and unable to score more than four runs in any game over the past two weeks until Tuesday’s 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals, according to a NESN report. The pitching has largely held its ground. Boston’s staff comes into Wednesday’s action with a 3.69 team ERA, fifth-best in the AL. But Tuesday’s result notwithstanding, the offense continues to let the team down.
The proposed deal immediately sparked debate because it would require Boston to part with one of its most dynamic young stars in exchange for an aggressive win-now package tied to Arizona’s veteran core.
Red Sox Trade Pitch Gets Pair of Arizona Superstars
On Wednesday’s special “bonus” episode of the Boston-focused baseball podcast Play Tessie, hosts Nat “Gordo” Gordon, Sammy James and Pat Brown floated perhaps the most aggressive trade scenario the team would have considered before the deadline. The idea goes like this: ship Jarren Duran, rookie left-hander Connelly Early and No. 3 prospect Kyson Witherspoon, a right-handed pitcher who was Boston’s first-round draft pick in 2025, to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for second baseman Ketel Marte and third baseman Nolan Arenado.
The case for going after Marte is pretty straightforward. The three-time All-Star signed through 2030 on a six-year, $105 million deal and boasts a career OPS of .817 with 177 home runs. A second baseman, Marte on the Red Sox would allow Marcelo Mayer to move back to his natural shortstop position.
Arenado, 35, was acquired by Arizona from the St. Louis Cardinals in January and recovered from a lost month of April to bat .273 with six home runs and a .801 OPS in 43 games, per Viva El Birdos.
The math on Duran is equally clear. The 2024 All-Star is batting .189 with a .593 OPS this season.
“Early and Duran for Marte — despite the slow start, which I’m not buying — is even more of a slam dunk now than it was in the offseason because Duran has just been that bad,” Gordon said on the podcast.
Marte would be a clear upgrade, and a significant one, given that Mayer, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin have combined to post a .544 OPS from three of the four infield spots, according to the NESN report.
What Red Sox Surrender in Marte, Arenado Deal
The cost of the deal for Boston is where the debate gets heated. Early, 24, has outperformed his billing as a fifth-starter type in his rookie season. Witherspoon — the 15th overall pick in the 2025 draft, a 21-year-old with five swing-and-miss offerings currently pitching at High-A Greenville — ranks among Boston’s elite organizational prospects. In the offseason, the Red Sox already refused to include Mayer in any Marte package, according to The Sporting News.
James and Brown pushed back on Gordon’s pitch, arguing that surrendering Early requires a Yordan Alvarez-level return, not a pair of declining veterans.
Brown flagged the financials. Arenado is owed roughly $11 million across the final two seasons of his contract, which could restrict Boston from making additional moves. As for Marte, his 10-and-5 rights give him full veto power over any transaction, a factor the podcast set aside for argument’s sake but one the front office will need to consider.
Durbin’s wRC+ has collapsed to 12 in May, per BoSox Injection, and Story is already on the injured list. The offense is broken and the clock is ticking. Whether the cure requires handing over two of the system’s best young arms is a question Craig Breslow will be answering over the coming weeks.
Red Sox Tabbed to Trade Jarren Duran to Arizona in Franchise-Altering Move