On the same day that he went 3-5 with a two-run homer to key the Boston Red Sox’ 13-1 drubbing of the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox outfielder and 2024 All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran found himself the center of trade buzz once again — and again the interest came from the San Diego Padres.
In fact, according to Athletic reporter Jen McCaffrey, with the MLB trade deadline hitting in less than 24 hours, Padres general manager A.J. Preller continued to show “extreme interest” in acquiring the 28-year-old Duran, who is playing on a one-year, $3.75 million contract with a club option for 2026 at $8 million.
Preller’s ‘Agressiveness’ Could Land Duran
McCaffery also reported that at least one National League source said that the Duran deal could get done thanks to Preller’s “aggressiveness” in pursuing Duran, even though Red Sox chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow has said that he feels no need to trade any of the Red Sox outfielders, despite the fact that Boston currently has six outfielders to fit into four lineup spots — the three outfield positions plus designated hitter.
The Red Sox and Padres are engaged in a “game of chicken” over Duran with the deadline bearing down, the Athletic scribe reported. The Padres have made starter Dylan Cease, who placed fourth in 2024 Cy Young voting, available. But the Red Sox are holding out for more.
If San Diego included top prospect infielder Leodalis De Vries,” McCaffrey wrote, “the Red Sox would consider it.”
Padres May Include No. 1 Prospect in Deal
The 18-year-old De Vries, out of the Dominican Republic, was the No. 1 prospect on the international market last year when the Padres signed him for a $4.2 million bonus and, rather than allow him to become acclimated by playing games in the Dominican Leagues, they immediately assigned him to the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm.
Promoting De Vries to the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps for 2025, the teenage shortstop has adapted well, though without doing anything spectacular. He has posted a .756 OPS with eight home runs, four triples and 18 doubles in the 81 games he has played there so far.
Nonetheless, MLB Pipeline ranks the switch-hitter as the Padres No. 1 prospect, and the No. 3 prospect in baseball — soon to be No. 2 if Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns can get 50 innings pitched under his belt this year, which is usually the threshold to “graduate” from the prospect rankings and be considered a full-fledged big-leaguer.
Burns has mostly struggled through six starts, but needs another 22 2/3 innings to hit the 50 mark.
Breslow Looking For Pitchers With Years of Team Control
For Breslow, it may take more than Cease plus one prospect, no matter how promising, to persuade him to cut ties with Duran. Working against Cease is the fact that the 29-year-old, seven-year veteran will be a free agent after the season.
“One of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s initial priorities for the 2025 trade deadline was to secure pitchers with multiple years of control on their contracts,” reported BoSox Injection writer Katie Manganelli.
Red Sox May Prefer Deal For Pirates’ Keller
That priority, Manganelli wrote, would make Breslow more favorably disposed to acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates seven-year veteran Mitch Keller, who is currently in the second season of a five-year, $77 million contract with the Pirates.
The 29-year-old has put up a 3.69 ERA and 3.44 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) mark through 22 starts. Keller was a National League All-Star in 2023. But it is those three remaining years of club control, in addition to the current one, that would make Keller most enticing to the Red Sox.
Red Sox $11.75 Million All-Star Draws ‘Extreme’ Trade Interest From One Team