Where Red Sox, Royals Stand On Potential Jarren Duran Blockbuster

A lot of teams would make sense for Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran this offseason, but the Kansas City Royals have probably been the team most frequently linked to his trade market.

Kansas City entered the offseason with a more desperate need for outfield help than any of their counterparts throughout the league. But last week, they signed free agent Lane Thomas and traded for second-year outfielder Isaac Collins from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Did that take the Royals out of the running for Duran? Not so, says one prominent baseball insider.

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Royals could still be in play for Duran

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Royals are open to adding more help for their outfield, "most notably" Duran, who they have had discussions about acquiring. However, Boston appears to be taking a firm stance about who it wants in return.

"The Royals are under the impression Duran would cost them left-hander Cole Ragans, though the Red Sox view the initial talks as more informal and exploratory, according to people briefed on the conversations," wrote Rosenthal.

"Both Ragans, 28, and Duran, 29, are under club control for three more seasons, with Ragans under contract for a combined $12 million in 2026-27 and Duran for $7.75 million in ’26. The Royals, though, see Ragans as a player with greater value, a potential Game 1 starter in a postseason series."

Red Sox fans have to love that the front office isn't budging on Ragans being the price for now, because it's Kansas City that has the more limited resources here. Boston's outfield is deep, and Duran might be on the way out regardless, but there are other things they could offer in a package for Ragans and still feel comfortable, both in terms of major and minor-league talent.

Meanwhile, the Royals' next-best trade chip in terms of starting pitching talent is Kris Bubic, who is entering his walk year and shouldn't net them Duran, as the Red Sox now have enough rotation depth not to need anyone who profiles as less than an ace.

If Kansas City is willing to play ball on Ragans, the Red Sox will almost certainly need to add more than Duran to get the deal over the finish line. But for now, they hold the majority of the negotiating power.

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