Boston Red Sox Given 25 Percent Chance to Trade All-Star Outfielder

The Red Sox are in the thick of the American League playoff race, but might they be willing to move on from Jarren Duran in an effort to help their pitching group?

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a double against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on July 12. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

With the MLB trade deadline approaching, the Boston Red Sox are figuring out how to do two different things: Make the playoffs for the first time since 2022, and figure out how to work around their log-jammed outfield/designated hitter spot.

According to Jeff Passan, one of the avenues to helping the latter could be to trade outfielder Jarren Duran, who he gave the team a 25 percent chance of trading in his most recent trade deadline primer.

Duran had a huge breakout season in 2024, posting the seventh-best fWAR in the majors at 6.8. He overperformed his underlying metrics, though -- i.e., had some lucky outcomes -- and those metrics have regressed a bit this year. Now, he's underperforming them -- he has been unlucky -- so his true talent is somewhere south of that star-level figure but better than the roughly 2 WAR (commensurate with a solid regular) he's on pace for this season...

Free at ESPN: An updated Top 50 trade candidates and the destinations that make the most sense for them. We've got a new No. 1, relievers with up arrows and a number of players dropping off the list, including Alex Bregman. Story with @kileymcd: https://t.co/cdUBCe4EDA

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 21, 2025

With Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder, there just aren't enough at-bats for everyone. Of course, someone could get hurt in the 10 days leading up to the deadline, but Passan says a Duran deal could make sense if it yields high-end pitching. It's unclear who exactly is out there that fits that bill but Joe Ryan (Twins) could be available. Furthermore, former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara is on the market, but he's struggled greatly this season.

Duran, 28, is hitting .257 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs. He has 16 stolen bases and has helped the Red Sox to a 54-47 record. They are 1.5 games up on the Tampa Bay Rays for the third and final wild card spot. They'll play the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at 6:45 p.m. ET.

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