Red Sox Trade Idea Ships 29-Year-Old All-Star To Pirates

A last-place team on the rise?

Sep 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have been as active as anyone on the trade market this winter, making 10 deals in total and at least three deals projected to impact the opening day roster.

However, none of those trades have involved outfielder Jarren Duran, who entered the winter looking like one of the most obvious candidates to be dealt among star players around Major League Baseball.

Could Duran still be on the move? There's no guarantee, certainly, but one baseball analyst believes a motivated National League team could be the right fit to pry him loose.

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Is Duran a good fit in Pittsburgh?

Earlier this week, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly labeled the Pittsburgh Pirates as the "top landing spot" for Duran, as the reigning last-place team in the National League Central undoubtedly needs more offense.

"Even though Jarren Duran is just a year removed from a top-10 finish in AL MVP voting, he might be the odd man out in the Boston Red Sox outfield," Kelly wrote.

"Pittsburgh has signed Ryan O'Hearn already this offseason, but if they want to make the best of their remaining time with Paul Skenes, that can't be the only move," wrote Kelly. "Acquiring Duran would give the Pirates a pretty respectable outfield—particularly when facing right-handed pitching—along with Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds."

From this site's perspective, all we really need to be asking is why the Red Sox would make this deal. Skenes would be off-limits, but the Red Sox would want an All-Star caliber pitcher, something they've reportedly been consistent about all winter when negotiating Duran's value.

It seems, then, as if the Red Sox and Pirates already made the trade that both sides could stomach when Jhostynxon Garcia was shipped to Pittsburgh for righty Johan Oviedo. Oviedo, not Skenes, or Bubba Chandler, or even Jared Jones, was the arm the Pirates were willing to surrender.

We won't rule anything out, but even if the Pirates wind up showing motivation to acquire Duran, it's hard to see what they would offer to entice Boston to pull the trigger.

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