Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Writer Sounds Off On 'Foolish' Trade Idea

The Cardinals could explore the idea of a Jarren Duran trade this season.
Zach Pressnell|
May 28, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
May 28, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

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Earlier this week, Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer proposed a potential trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox that would send All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran to the Cardinals in exchange for top prospects Quinn Mathews and JJ Wetherholt.

Not everybody in the media liked this idea (myself included), but Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants really voiced his negative opinion on this potential idea.

"Wetherholt and Mathew are the club's top two prospects according to virtually every major prospect analysis," Gauvain wrote. "These two will probably make their debuts in 2026, and they'll be contributors immediately. Parting with them before the Cardinals can reap the fruits of their newfound drafting and developing labors would be borderline malpractice.

"Acquiring Jarren Duran via trade would give the Cardinals the chance to find a potential MVP candidate, something they haven't had in two years. However, the cost of JJ Wetherholt AND Quinn Mathews is too high for a player who has only had one true season of exceptionalism."

A Duran trade makes sense for the Cardinals, but it wouldn't make sense to cut ties with the team's top two prospects. Trading Mathews or Wetherholt in the deal would work, though some might be skeptical still, but both would be a bit much.

The issue isn't that it would be unfair value wise. In fact, the value in the deal seems quite fair. It's more so the fact that the Cardinals' farm system would take such a huge hit by losing their top two pieces.

Any realistic Duran-Cardinals trade likely begins with Ryan Helsley as the headliner. This would lighten the prospect haul by quite a bit and give the Red Sox the closer they desperately need.

More MLB: Injury-Riddled Braves Need To Trade For Cardinals $7.5 Million Pitcher

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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