Inside The Red Sox

Jarren Duran Gets Real About Red Sox's Struggles As Trade Rumors Fly

The one-run losses have GOT to stop
Jackson Roberts|
May 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
May 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

Monday had to be a wild day to be Jarren Duran.

The Boston Red Sox's star outfielder woke up in the middle of an 0-for-16 slump. Then, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that the San Diego Padres were interested in acquiring him via trade, which set off an entire day's worth of speculation and predictions.

Duran managed to successfully block out the noise, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Monday night, but the Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Angels 7-6. Boston is now a putrid 6-16 in games decided by one run.

After the loss, the 28-year-old was asked about that specific statistic and had an optimistic spin on what has become a doomsday trend for this Boston club.

“Personally, I think it says that we’re a really, really good team. And we’ve been in a lot of games, but we've just got to get over that hump,” Duran said on NESN.

"We've got a lot of young guys that are just learning to compete at this level. I know when I first came up at this level, I was scared to death to make a mistake and play, so I'm just trying to pass that on to the younger guys and be like, 'Hey, bro, you're going to be a big part of this, and just keep going."

At 29-33, the Red Sox unfortunately don't have the luxury of waiting much longer to get over that hump. And many have proposed a solution--calling up number-one prospect Roman Anthony--that will only make the Red Sox even younger and more inexperienced.

Duran has been the heart and soul of this team for a couple years now, and he's become a real clubhouse leader. The front office and manager Alex Cora will not come out and say they're considering trading him, because that would be an awful look.

But if Duran and his teammates really want to squash those rumors, they have to play better, plain and simple. Otherwise, there's still an outside chance a deal with the Padres (or another opportunistic contender) could happen.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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