One team in a strange spot heading into the 2026 season is the San Diego Padres. They lost some pitching over the offseason, headlined by Dylan Cease signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. They brought back right-hander Michael King, who was being pursued by multiple American League East clubs. Is that going to be enough to compete in the loaded National League West?
As far as the position players go, the Padres can trot out a lineup that is up there with some of the best of them. In the outfield, San Diego has a very good duo in Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. However, in left field, Ramón Laureano feels like someone holding down the position until they can upgrade at some point.
There has been a lot of smoke around the Boston Red Sox and their plethora of outfielders. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has so far hung onto all of them. At some point, you get the feeling one of them will be moved. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report came up with the Padres potentially trading for one.
San Diego Padres Urged To Trade for Jarren Duran
Rymer came up with one trade each MLB team should consider before Opening Day next month, and he listed Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran as someone San Diego should target. This isn’t the first time that the Padres and Duran have been linked together, going all the way back to the trade deadline last summer, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“With all respect to Ramón Laureano, you’d rather have Duran in left field if given the choice. It obviously isn’t that simple, and it’s not clear what the Padres can offer that the Red Sox would accept. But since Craig Breslow isn’t exactly predictable when it comes to trades, we won’t mistake “hard to see it” for “can’t see it,” wrote Rymer.
To say that Breslow isn’t predictable when it comes to trades is an understatement. However, you have to think that at some point, he’ll have to move some of his many outfielders. Wilyer Abreu has been someone who has generated interest with Duran. Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela are untouchables, which makes Duran expendable.
What Jarren Duran Brings To the San Diego Padres
Duran is coming off his two best seasons with the Red Sox in 2024 and 2025. He was the All-Star Game MVP in 2024. He hit a career-high in home runs with 21, and he drove in 75 that year. Last season, he hit 16 home runs and drove in a career-high 84. He has 89 doubles over the last two seasons and 58 stolen bases.
Duran brings a mixture of power and speed that would fit well in the Padres lineup. He would be an addition to the middle of the lineup or someone who could be a dangerous hitter at the bottom of the lineup who could flip it over to the top. He is from Corona, California, which would be somewhat of a homecoming.
Between now and the trade deadline, it certainly feels like Breslow will trade one of the outfielders. If he does, Duran and the Padres seem like a fit that could work if San Diego can meet Boston’s asking price.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Padres Urged To Trade For Boston Red Sox All-Star Outfielder appeared first on Heavy Sports.