Jarren Duran Update As Red Sox Trade Rumors Swirl

Things have been eerily quiet around the Boston Red Sox since the winter meetings.

Boston has been linked to a handful of players, but the club hasn't gotten a deal done to move the needle since acquiring Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported on Dec. 10 that the Red Sox will try to get "creative" to add two bats after missing out on Pete Alonso in free agency. As of now, the club hasn't added any bats yet.

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The vast majority of the rumors around the team have centered around the various free agents still available, like Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette. But there has also still been some buzz around players who could be on the move, like outfielder Jarren Duran. Boston has a surplus of outfielders, and Duran has been the subject of rumors this offseason, along with Wilyer Abreu to a lesser extent.

The Red Sox shouldn't trade Jarren Duran yet

The Kansas City Royals have been a team consistently linked to Duran, but The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that shedding payroll "might be necessary" to acquire the outfielder.

"The Royals had been telling clubs and agents they were operating with limited financial flexibility," Rosenthal wrote. "But ownership allowed the front office to extend for (Matt Strahm), who became a more pressing addition after the Royals traded lefty reliever Angel Zerpa to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Isaac Collins and righty reliever Nick Mears.

"Shedding payroll still might be necessary for the Royals to acquire one more hitter, ideally the Red Sox’s Jarren Duran or St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan, according to people familiar with their plans. The team remains open to moving left-hander Kris Bubic, who is projected to earn $6 million in arbitration. A trade of righty reliever John Schreiber ($3.8 million projection) or Bailey Falter ($3.3 million) also would create flexibility.

"While the Royals are disinclined to trade their top starting pitchers, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Cole Ragans, they continue to get hit on a variety of others, including Bubic, lefty Noah Cameron and righties Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila, sources say."

If the Red Sox could land someone like Ragans, that would be a game-changer for the organization's rotation. But Boston needs more offense right now, not less. The club already could use two bats. Losing Duran would hurt the lineup even more. At this point, the Red Sox should target available bats first, and then turn attention elsewhere to make sure they don't miss out on the top guys available.

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