by For the past few weeks, Jarren Duran’s name has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors; but, it doesn’t seem like any of the speculative moves involving the Red Sox outfielder will materialize in the near future.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Duran is probably going to remain with the Red Sox following the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
Sean McAdam of MassLive claimed that the Red Sox had also turned down a trade offer from the Padres that would have traded Duran for starting pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas, and another prospect. McAdam did point out that Duran will probably be traded by the Red Sox at some time.
The Red Sox will continue to have an excess of outfielders because Duran seems certain to stay in Boston for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. Since the Rafael Devers trade, one of their outfielders has been the designated hitter in all but two of their games, which may limit what they can add to their lineup before the deadline.
The Red Sox’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may be able to leverage their outfield prospects in a pitcher or other trade before the deadline if Duran is kept aboard. Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, also referred to as “The Password,” will be among the Red Sox’s top two hitting prospects as Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are scheduled to graduate as prospects shortly. The Red Sox will also see an increase in Boston’s prospect system rankings for James Tibbs, the outfielder and first baseman they obtained in the Devers trade.
Although Garcia and Tibbs have difficult roads to major league playing time in Boston, McAdam noted that the Red Sox respect the latter and it would take a lot to transfer the former. In 47 games with Triple-A Worcester this season, Garcia, 22, has hit.295 with a.900 OPS and 11 home runs, demonstrating his exceptional play.
Given that Garcia is expected to make it to the major leagues in 2026, Boston might be motivated to trade Duran during the winter if it wants to acquire the rapidly developing player. In that case, Wilyer Abreu and Garcia alternate time in right field, while Anthony (left field) and Ceddanne Rafaela (center field) might be the Red Sox’s regular outfielders.
Looking ahead to 2026, the Red Sox may have more space for more bidders if they wait to deal Duran until the winter. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletics reports that the Twins are unlikely to trade ace Joe Ryan before the trade deadline, and it’s uncertain if the Pirates want to trade righty Mitch Keller before July 31.
Both teams might benefit from offseason trades involving Duran for one of those pitchers. Given Minnesota’s poor offensive performance this season and their uncertain left field situation past 2025, Duran would be a good fit.
Regarding Pittsburgh, Rosenthal pointed out that the Pirates’ simplest way to strengthen their lineup while cutting payroll would be to trade Keller. Since Durran is still in his arbitration years, he should be on the less expensive end of the spectrum and will be under team control through the end of the 2028 season.
Keller, meanwhile, has a contract that expires at the end of 2028. Given that the Red Sox are apparently looking for a pitcher with a multi-year contract, his five-year, $77 million extension will pay him more than $55 million over the following three years. With a 3.53 ERA so far this season, the 29-year-old is having a career year.
But for the time being, Duran will probably have to endure the 2025 campaign as concerns about his long-term future persist. In an interview with the Section 10 podcast in late June, however, he stated that he wasn’t overly worried about the trade talk.
Since I have no influence over it and no voice in the matter, I honestly don’t see why I should even consider it. Duran mentioned that there were trade speculations involving his name. That’s my perspective on it. Ultimately, I have no control over anything, therefore the more I tell myself that, the more it will break my heart. I simply don’t give it much thought. Ultimately, I have no control over it, but if it occurs, it happens.
Duran is hitting.254 going into Saturday, with a.749 OPS, nine home runs, 53 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases so far this season.
Sign up for Red Sox updates
During baseball season, receive breaking news and analysis straight to your inbox.
