Red Sox's Jarren Duran Gets Trade Deadline Prediction From MLB Insider

Is Duran staying or going?

Jul 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (16) celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

To trade Jarren Duran, or not to trade Jarren Duran? That is the question for the Boston Red Sox at the 2025 trade deadline.

Duran was the heart and soul of the Red Sox in 2024, and he's still a key contributor in 2025. He's got an All-Star appearance under his belt, he's still doing power-speed things few others around the game can match, and he's under team control for 3 1/2 more seasons.

But Duran could also be considered the most expendable outfielder on the Red Sox roster, with Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, and Wilyer Abreu all playing excellent baseball. And there have been lots of whispers that the 28-year-old could be on the move.

The San Diego Padres are infatuated with Duran, and everyone knows it. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets need center fielders as well, and even a non-contending team could try to pry Duran loose to become a fixture of their outfield for the next few seasons.

However, New York Post insider Jon Heyman predicted Monday that Duran will stay in Boston past the Jul. 31 deadline during a live stream for Bleacher Report.

"I think Duran probably stays put," Heyman said. "San Diego's been scouting him heavily since May, they've been looking at him for two years now. He'd fit other teams, he'd probably fit the Mets, many teams."

"He's an outstanding left fielder, a good center fielder. I think he probably stays. It's tough to trade him; I understand they have an extra outfielder."

To some degree, having Duran as a tradable asset is a luxury for the Red Sox right now. They can juggle the lineup every night with a starting-caliber player on the bench, and that means they should only deal him at the deadline if they can acquire a starting pitcher with multiple years of control.

But that luxury will become a burden when the offseason arrives, because the Red Sox can't go into 2025 with four starting outfielders. Every team will start with a clean slate once November hits, though, so the odds of getting a deal done that theoretically helps both sides will increase dramatically.