Mets Predicted to Trade For Red Sox Star

New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns did an awesome job rounding out his team's roster heading into the 2026 season.

The Mets had multiple clear gaps after their disappointing 2025 campaign, including an ace-caliber starting pitcher, reliable back-end relievers, and a center fielder. And then first base became a position of need after Pete Alonso left in free agency.

Stearns managed to address all of these holes by trading for Freddy Peralta, signing former Yankees relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, trading for Luis Robert Jr., and signing Jorge Polanco. While all of these additions are solid, the one that comes with the most question marks is arguably Robert Jr.

New York Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Robert Jr. is an undeniably talented player, but the unfortunate reality is that he hasn't managed to stay healthy over the past few seasons. And if Robert Jr. gets hurt again at some point in 2026, the Mets will have another glaring hole in their outfield.

Expert Predicts Mets Will Trade for Jarren Duran

If Robert Jr. does go down, one would imagine that Stearns will try to trade for another outfielder at around the deadline. And Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller predicted New York would trade for Red Sox star center fielder Jarren Duran in a February 27 article.

"With Jarren Duran, however, the justification is that the World Series-hopeful Red Sox have a surplus of quality outfielders—Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela in addition to Duran—and could look to clear their logjam while simultaneously fixing a different position of need," Miller wrote.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (16) | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

"Most likely, that position would be second or third base, though shortstop is also on the table if Trevor Story is unable to replicate what he did in 2025. In most years, it'd be quite the needle to thread, needing to find a team that A) is buying at the deadline, B) needs an outfielder/DH, and C) has a quality infielder to spare," he added.

"The Mets are probably most likely to reach a point of desperation if rookie Carson Benge doesn't hit the ground running. They could throw both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty Boston's way without even parting with a starter, and that could be quite the windfall for the Red Sox if both second and third are problem areas."

The hope is that Robert Jr. will rediscover his 2023 form this season. But if not, perhaps Duran will be at Citi Field by the season's end.

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