It’s no secret that the Boston Red Sox face a logjam that probably should have been addressed a year ago. Between their top prospects they called up to the big leagues in 2025 and the addition of Alex Bregman last winter, there has been a log jam in both the infield and the outfield. Had it been addressed earlier, perhaps Boston would not have parted ways with Rafael Devers in the same manner they did.
Fast-forward to now, and rumors are once again swirling that the Red Sox could be restructuring their roster in order to make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2018.
The Red Sox once again look to move Jarren Duran
Jarren Duran is not a stranger to finding himself in the middle of these Red Sox trade rumors, and the team is once again presumably shopping the 29-year-old outfielder this winter. Although there’s no doubt that Duran would provide Boston with meaningful value in 2026, moving him might do more for the Red Sox in the long term.
Obviously, a Jarren Duran trade would free up space in the outfield. As long as he returns to good health, there is certainly a spot for the 21-year-old phenom Roman Anthony in the outfield at Fenway Park. With an extra year of control while being three years younger than Duran, Wilyer Abreu might also be a better outfield option over Duran in the long term. Given Ceddanne Rafaela’s defensive ability in center field, it’s hard to see Boston moving on from him, and Masataka Yoshida’s contract as a DH is as close to unmovable as it can get. A move has to be made, and Duran is likely the odd man out.
Aside from the fact that trading Duran would help to free up space on the roster, the Red Sox could get a solid return from him as well. This is a player with 13.2 fWAR dating back to the beginning of 2023. The only problem is that “the Red Sox are valuing Jarren Duran more like the seven-win player he was in 2024 in trade talks than the four-win player he was in 2025,” according to Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel.
There is still a healthy market for a player like Jarren Duran
While Duran’s 2024 campaign was very impressive, the likelihood that he was going to replicate that performance was slim. That was the case in 2025 as he regressed to 3.9 fWAR compared to 6.8 in 2024. Regressing by nearly three wins because of a step back in both offensive and defensive performance in the middle of his prime years should be a tell-tale sign that Duran is much closer to a four-win player than a seven-win player — and there’s nothing wrong with that.
There is certainly a market for a player like Duran, and it’s not often that teams are willing to trade players with a skill-set like his this many years removed from free agency. The problem is that Boston’s asking price sounds pretty hefty.
The last thing the Red Sox need is to head into 2026 with another roster mess. Perhaps a Duran trade can help improve other areas of the roster such as the starting rotation, bullpen, or the bench. This is shaping up to be a pivotal offseason for Boston, and making this move could be what sets them up for further success in 2026 and beyond.