Jarren Duran’s continues to come up in trade rumors, and the Boston Red Sox are reportedly dangling the super-athletic outfielder in hopes of landing pitching.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic named a new potential landing spot for Duran, the Kansas City Royals, who the Red Sox could offload for veteran right-handed starter Seth Lugo before next week’s trade deadline.
Lugo has been exceptional this year, boasting a 6-5 record and 2.94 ERA in 107 innings over 18 starts. The 35-year-old, who according to Rosenthal has a $15 million player option for 2026, is expected to hit the open market as a free agent after this year.
Why Are The Red Sox A Match For Seth Lugo?
Take a breath, Red Sox fans. Boston is not going to trade Duran for Lugo straight up, especially since the soon-to-be-29-year-old outfielder is under team control for at least three more seasons.
“If [the Royals] trade right-hander Seth Lugo, they will want controllable outfield help in return,” Rosenthal wrote. “The athleticism of Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran makes him attractive to the Royals, as do his three additional years of club control.
“The Red Sox would not trade Duran for a pitcher who likely would amount to a rental, but the Royals could sweeten the deal with prospects, and teams are targeting their young catching, in particular.”
That depth at catcher could be intriguing to the Red Sox, who are platooning Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong behind the plate. Despite his above-average 111 OPS+, Narvaez leads the majors in errors among catchers (7) and makes a better backup catcher or 1A option than a starter.
Plus, Wong has a -0.6 fWAR in 36 games.
The Red Sox could use a frontline starting pitcher like Lugo, who could slot behind ace Garrett Crochet as a viable Game 2 option in a potential playoff series. Plus, Lugo already has some friends in the Boston clubhouse.
“For what it’s worth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is familiar with Lugo,” Rosenthal wrote. “Cora was the GM for Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Lugo was one of the pitchers on that squad.”
Are The Red Sox Trading Jarren Duran?
The rumors are too loud to ignore, and even though Boston won’t offload Duran just to do so — it is still smarting publicly from the Rafael Devers trade to the San Francisco Giants — it has dangled Duran to help grow its pool of prospects.
“To be clear: There’s little reason for Boston to even entertain offers for Duran unless the return is substantial,” The Athletic’s reporters wrote as part of its list of top-30 trade candidates. “Perhaps most importantly, he’s under team control through 2028, making him a player that teams can build around.
“Of course, even with a sudden influx of stud prospects joining the lineup, the Red Sox could continue to build around him, too.”
Aside from the Royals, the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies are interested in Duran, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan called the Cincinnati Reds the best fit for him in a trade.
If the Red Sox trade Duran to Cincinnati, All-Star lefty Andrew Abbott could be a nice target, though Passan reported why Boston might balk at package headlined by Abbott.
“Andrew Abbott is putting up the sorts of numbers that Boston is seeking from a starter,” Passan wrote. “But with a fastball at 92 mph, he doesn’t scream front-of-the-rotation guy.”
Jarren Duran Named As Potential Trade Chip For Red Sox To Acquire Pitching