The Boston Red Sox are set up to be buyers at the upcoming trade deadline. However, they could be willing to part ways with an All-Star on their team as well.
Jarren Duran was an All-Star last season, but has seen his numbers decline this year. He is still a solid player with club control, but he may be the odd man out in the Red Sox outfield. Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela are not going to be traded, and Wilyer Abreu has more club control than Duran.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan listed Duran as a trade chip and the Atlanta Braves as a potential suitor. Duran could set the Braves up for next season and beyond, while the Red Sox could potentially target one of the Braves pitchers.
“Duran had a huge breakout season in 2024, posting the seventh-best fWAR in the majors at 6.8,” wrote Passan. “He overperformed his underlying metrics, though — i.e., had some lucky outcomes — and those metrics have regressed a bit this year. Now, he’s underperforming them — he has been unlucky — so his true talent is somewhere south of that star-level figure but better than the roughly 2 WAR (commensurate with a solid regular) he’s on pace for this season. With Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, the Red Sox have the outfield depth to consider moving Duran for controllable, top-end pitching.”
If the Red Sox are going to trade Duran, an All-Star with multiple years of control, they may want more than just a rental. The Braves’ season is all but lost, and they may be thinking about a reset in the offseason. Could they be willing to part ways with Chris Sale?
Sale is on the injured list right now, but he was an All-Star this year and has an $18 million club option for next season. Sale, of course, spent six seasons pitching for the Red Sox and helped the team win a World Series in 2018.
