The 2026 season has been nothing short of a disappointment for the Boston Red Sox, who managed to sneak into the playoffs last year as a wild card team before being knocked out in the first round. They find themselves in last place in the American League East at 27-39 and appear to be trending towards selling at the trade deadline.
While they don’t have a lot of players on expiring contracts, they still have several players that contending teams may want. For example, they have a logjam of left-handed hitting outfielders, and that area will grow even more crowded when Roman Anthony returns from his injury.
This could lead to them trading from that area. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com believes that former All-Star Jarren Duran could become expendable when Anthony comes back.
“It seemed as though Duran’s trade value had plummeted to an all-time low by the end of April, when he was hitting .170 with one home run and a .481 OPS through his first 26 games this season,” Feinsand wrote. “Since May 1, the 29-year-old has turned things around, posting a .767 OPS with nine homers in 35 games, and while he still doesn’t look like the player who posted a 9-WAR season in 2024, Duran is under control for two more years and could benefit from a change of scenery given a Boston outfield that will be crowded again when Roman Anthony returns from the injured list.”
Jarren Duran Named Trade Chip
Duran’s numbers still aren’t great this season. He is hitting .210/.269/.383 with 1o home runs, 34 RBI and a .652 OPS. He has stolen 11 bases, but his bat was cold earlier this year. Still, he seems to have figured something out and is producing the way he did a few years back when he was an All-Star.
His value might have gone down a little bit thanks to his slow start, but the fact is that Boston has too many left-handed bats in the outfield, and they’ll need to trim their supply, whether they decide to buy or sell at the trade deadline.
Depending on Duran’s production, the Red Sox could still be able to get something solid in exchange for him. He’s still a valuable trade piece for the Red Sox and is somebody that contending teams should have interest in. He also isn’t a free agent until after the 2028 season, so he has two more years of club control after 2026, which teams will certainly be considering.
What Red Sox Can Get
The Red Sox aren’t too far back in the wild card race, so if they buy, they could simply make a need-for-need trade with Duran and possibly land a right-handed power bat. If they sell though, they could bring back a few solid prospects and set themselves up well for 2027 and beyond.
But it’s clear that either way, Duran is a top trade candidate and is somebody that other teams will have at least some interest in. The Red Sox have a lot of problems to solve this year after such a dreadful start.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Red Sox All-Star Named Top Trade Chip with Outfield Logjam appeared first on HEAVY.