Red Sox Quietly Avoided Jarren Duran-Cubs Mistake

The Boston Red Sox pulled off yet another deal on Monday without having to include any of the team's prized outfielders.

The loss of Alex Bregman triggered a need within the Red Sox to go out and acquire infield talent. The trade market quickly became the most obvious path forward. When Bregman came off the board, other options available were Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suárez, but neither was a perfect fit. Once the club landed Ranger Suárez, that also seemed to shut down the idea of another high-priced option.

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So, the trade market has been talked about over and over and the Red Sox struck on Monday by acquiring Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers. In the process, the Red Sox gave up Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan. Yet another move without having to include an outfielder, which arguably is a good thing. Before the deal, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox have actually been "open" to discussing Jarren Duran specifically in trades.

"Aside from them, the Sox have been open-minded about dealing prospects — particularly those whose primary big league impact wouldn’t be this coming season," Speier wrote. "Additionally, the Sox have been open to discussing Jarren Duran as a trade candidate. The openness to moving Duran seems partly driven by the Sox’s contingent of four outfielders for three positions, and partly because moving Duran would act as an offset for some of the higher-salaried players the Sox might acquire. Moving Duran’s contract isn’t a prerequisite to a deal — industry sources believe the Sox could deal starter Patrick Sandoval if they wanted to offset another salary — but does represent a consideration if the Sox are at the upper end of what they want to spend."

The Red Sox had been seriously poking around

Sep 9, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) smiles after getting hit by a pitch during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

That's not all. Speier reported that there had even been trade talks with the Chicago Cubs around their infielders that would've sent Duran to Chicago.

"The Cubs and Sox have discussed trades that would send Duran to Chicago for an infielder. To date, the Sox have shown unwillingness to explore a deal that would send [Connelly Early]," Speier wrote. "Those aren’t the only infielders the Sox have discussed. Multiple industry sources identified Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin as a potential Sox target. The 25-year-old finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .256/.334/.387 with 11 homers, 18 steals, and solid defense at third (along with cameos at short and second)."

Fortunately, the Red Sox didn't get a deal like that done. Arguably, Durbin is a more intriguing long-term option than Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw, anyway. Hoerner only has one season of control, so giving up someone like Duran or Early or even both would've been absurd. Shaw is a talented player in his own right. Like Durbin, he was a rookie in 2025. He finished ninth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, while Durbin finished third.

Another interesting nugget from Speier was the fact that he mentioned that Boston has shown "no willingness" to trade Wilyer Abreu. So, it sounds like the Red Sox have been much more willing to deal Duran than Abreu, but forutnately both are still in Boston.

More MLB: Red Sox–Cubs Trade Update Shows Boston Means Business