Red Sox, Jarren Duran At Odds Over Shocking Amount Of Money

The Red Sox now have a decision to make

Sep 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs to first on his triple against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox had to make some tough decisions ahead of Thursday's deadline.

Teams and arbitration-eligible players had until Thursday afternoon to file salary numbers and then either work out a compromise and sign a deal, or disagree with the chance of heading toward an arbitration hearing. It's a difficult process in which the two sides essentially are pitted against one another.

Boston avoided arbitration with most of its eligible players, but there still remains one. All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran is the lone Red Sox player who the team didn't avoid arbitration with.

Duran had a fantastic 2024 season for the Red Sox. The 28-year-old led the league with 48 doubles and 11 triples. On top of that, he had 21 home runs, 75 RBIs, 34 stolen bases, and slashed. .285/.342/.492 in 160 games played. He accumulated 8.7 wins above replacement and finished eighth in the American League Most Valuable Player Award voting.

The young All-Star was projected to land a $4.9 million deal in arbitration by MLB Trade Rumors. When the two sides went to the negotiating table, Duran filed at $4 million while the Red Sox filed at $3.5 million, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"Arbitration exchange update: Jarren Duran filed at $4 million; the Red Sox filed at $3.5 million," Feinsand said.

This is a pretty surprising development. Duran was arguably the team's best overall player and yet he filed at seemingly a pretty fair rate. A jump to $3.5 million is a pretty healthy raise after making $760,000 last year, but after everything that has gone on over the last few years with the team's spending, this seems like an easy win to have just given him the extra $500,000 he wanted.

Duran is an All-Star-level player who very well could be the team's best player once again in 2025. Is it really worth it to hold out for the $500,000 and maybe even go to an arbitration hearing?

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