The Boston Red Sox have essentially played their way towards selling at the trade deadline. They are 33-46 and have the third worst record in the American League, though they are still alive in the wild card race.
Still, things aren’t exactly looking up for the Red Sox, and they will likely have to say goodbye to some familiar faces when the deadline comes around. One of those players could be outfielder Jarren Duran, as the Red Sox have a lot of left-handed hitting outfielders.
Sean McAdam of MassLive has previously reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks have shown interest in Duran. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer put together a mock trade that would land shortstop Jordan Lawlar with the Red Sox in exchange for Duran.
“This is where things start getting good,” Rymer wrote. “Duran is in his prime and under club control for two more seasons after 2026. There wouldn’t be much point in not swapping him out for a potential impact player in the majors.
“A Duran-for-Lawlar swap would have that kind of promise for the Red Sox. Injuries have taken some of the shine off Lawlar since he was a borderline top-10 prospect in the first half of the 2020s. Yet he’s still only 23, and the 12 games he played with the D-backs this year showed some signs of him figuring it out.”
How It Could Work
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has reported that Arizona has been looking for power from the left side of the plate, and Duran fits the bill. But Lawlar would be an interesting fit because he is still just 23 years old, can play third base and left field, is under team control until 2032 and is a right-handed bat.
The Red Sox need more right-handed position players, and Lawlar could certainly help settle things down in the infield. Trevor Story could move to second base and allow the young Lawlar a chance to catch on as the everyday shortstop with the Red Sox.
As long as he can get healthy, he could be a real difference maker for the Red Sox, assuming that he is who they would target in a potential Duran deal. Help is needed from the right side of the plate and in the infield, so it will be interesting to see if the Red Sox and Diamondbacks actually decide to make a deal centered around Duran and Lawlar at the deadline.
Red Sox Not Out of Race Yet
Once again, the American League is relatively weak, and strangely, the Red Sox are only five games back of the Houston Astros for the third wild card spot, so there is still a legitimate shot for them to make the postseason, at least for now.
If they turn things around, then there is no point in trading Duran unless the return is substantial. However, they are still 4-6 in their last 10 games and are at the bottom of the AL East, so there is still a lot of reason for skepticism around this team.
Red Sox Trade Proposal Sends Jarren Duran to Arizona for 23-Year-Old Shortstop