Red Sox-Jarren Duran Trade Market Update Drops On Christmas Day

Is Duran going to be dealt?

Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (right) and shortstop Trevor Story against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It had been a while since we'd heard about Jarren Duran's trade market.

Throughout the offseason, there have been a few whispers about Duran potentially getting traded, but admittedly fewer than one might have expected. The one team that we know has been pursuing Duran has been the Kansas City Royals, but the Red Sox seem to be setting too high a bar for the Royals to clear.

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As Red Sox fans across America were sitting down to their Christmas dinners, ESPN insider Jeff Passan offered a somewhat unexpected update on where Duran's market stands.

Latest intel on Duran's trade market

According to Passan in a response to a fan question on Threads, Boston has been unwilling to part with Duran for anything less than a rotation anchor (i.e. the Royals' Cole Ragans), and because pitching has been at such a premium this winter, Duran hasn't been enough to land them that ace.

"The Red Sox believe Duran is worth a front-of-the-rotation starter. At this point, no one has been willing to pay that," Passan wrote.

"Considering the return the Rays got on Shane Baz, teams are going to be that much more emboldened to price starting pitchers very aggressively, even with the paucity of good bats left beyond the very top of the free agent market."

In other words, it appears the Red Sox and any teams that might be eager to trade for Duran have been playing a game of chicken. And that's not necessarily to the Red Sox's disadvantage. Since Duran is under control for three more years and remains a very productive player, the Red Sox don't need to trade him.

Sure, they've got more than enough outfielders to get by without him, but having too many good position players really isn't the problem some might think it is, as demonstrated by the Red Sox having to withstand injuries to Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu down the stretch.

The questions are twofold: Where's the bar, and which teams might be willing to play ball? Ragans, the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal and the Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta seem like no-brainers, but would the Red Sox move Duran for any other starters around the league?

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