The Boston Red Sox and Jarren Duran have been involved in swirling trade rumors for a while now.
Essentially all of last offseason was spent with the premise that the Red Sox had too many outfielders and that one was bound to get traded.
That never came to fruition, though, and so Duran remained in Boston for the 2026 season.
He struggled mightily, batting just .207 with limited power, and so questions will arise again.
The Red Sox still have the same amount of outfielders. Duran might not be worth as much, but he also might not be as crucial for Boston to keep around.
A year later, could a trade materialize?
That’s one question being asked as the Red Sox enter their offseason after being swept in two games in the AL Wild Card Series by the rival New York Yankees.
There are big questions for the sport of baseball to answer as a whole this winter. In Boston, though, Duran is going to be one of the biggest things to solve, one way or another.
Jarren Duran Trade Plans
ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote about this question almost immediately following the Red Sox season ending, and he seems to arrive at the conclusion that a trade could definitely be coming.
“That leaves trading Duran on the agenda,” Schoenfield writes. “Roman Anthony’s nearly four-month stint on the IL meant the four-outfielders-for-three-positions problem never actually turned into a problem, but after hitting just .207/.266/.361, Duran is clearly fourth on the depth chart. His trade value took a nosedive, but he still somehow has two years left of team control, and the Red Sox will find a team willing to take a chance on him.”
There is certainly value for an acquiring team in the fact that Duran still has two more years under contract. Especially considering what a shortened season might do to player value, a team knowing it would also have Duran for 2028 could be appealing to anyone who still believes in his talent.
There may not be a lot of suitors, but Schoenfield writes that the “Red Sox will find a team willing to take a chance on him.” It’ll just be up to Boston at that point to follow through on the deal.
Why Red Sox Offseason Might Be Slow Otherwise
Aside from Duran, Schoenfield doesn’t think Boston will be very busy. They’ve already taken care of a bunch of things.
“While the Red Sox had a revolving door at shortstop and second base in 2026 — six different players started at short and seven at second — those positions will probably be resolved in 2027 with top prospect Franklin Arias and Curtis Mead, the trade deadline acquisition the Red Sox were going to play at second base until he got injured his first game with the team,” Schoenfield writes. “Trevor Story still has one more year left on his contract, but there’s no reason he should be playing ahead of Arias next season.”
Schoenfield also references the recent trades for Willson Contreras, Adley Rutschman and Erik Miller as limiting the need for moves, since those guys all are under contract still.
His only other question: Does Sonny Gray retire, or return, or neither? The Red Sox still have things to figure out, just maybe not as much as some years.
Red Sox Trade Plans for Jarren Duran Revealed