A new trade proposal has the Red Sox dealing outfielder Jarren Duran in exchange for a five-time All-Star shortstop, a move designed to address one of Boston’s biggest roster needs.
The proposed blockbuster would require Boston to part with one of its most dynamic players, albeit one who has struggled badly for most of the season, but supporters of the deal believe the potential return could reshape the club’s infield for years to come.
That return in the proposed trade would be New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Mets star, owed $34.1 million annually from 2027 through 2031 for a total of $170.5 million, has become trade chatter as New York sits at 40-57 despite carrying a $329 million payroll according to the latest Spotrac estimate.
WFAN’s Mike Francesa lit the fire this month, saying, “I think the Mets have decided that, from what I understand, they are trying to trade him,” as quoted by SI.com‘s Jackson Roberts.
Francisco Lindor’s Fit Amid Boston’s Surge
GettyFrancisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets.
Lindor’s 2026 numbers won’t wow anybody, a .216 average and 86 OPS+ across 153 at-bats after a hamate bone injury and a two-month calf strain. Context matters. From 2022 through 2025, Lindor finished in the top 10 of NL MVP voting every year while clearing 26 home runs each season, and his defense remains solid, zero defensive runs saved and two outs above average.
That contrasts with Trevor Story, whose metrics have sagged to minus-2 in both categories while working back from hernia surgery. Story has one year left on his deal, and roughly $25 million of what remains could offset Lindor’s money in a package.
A philosophical hurdle remains. Boston extended Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet last year on deals ending in their early 30s, the opposite of paying a shortstop into his late 30s. SI.com‘s Roberts called the fit “a little too far-fetched to happen in reality,” even while acknowledging Lindor’s Hall of Fame trajectory.
Jarren Duran’s Role in a Possible Lindor Deal
The idea of trading for Lindor was urged by the Ballpark Buzz newsletter in a recent entry.
“While I didnât expect to be writing about the Red Sox competing for a playoff spot just a few weeks ago, thatâs exactly where they find themselves when play resumes on Friday,” wrote Buzz author Micah Storms. “Craig Breslow and the front office should now be focused on how to improve this team both in the present and for the future. One player who could accomplish both goals is Francisco Lindor.”
Duran plays on a one-year, $7.7 million deal after Boston declined his $8 million option last fall, making him a cheap, controllable asset and the kind of MLB-ready sweetener teams attach to a star’s deal.
Duran hasn’t hit like the All-Star Game MVP he was just two years ago when he placed eighth overall in American League MVP voting. As MLB gets set to resume after the All-Star break, Duran is batting .194 in 87 games, and has struck out 113 times, a pace of one K every 3.3 plate appearances. That puts him on pace for 200 strikeouts in a season with 660 plate appearances.
The raw tools are still there. Duran has recorded six outs above average defensively, plus 13 homers and 14 steals.
An outfield logjam works against him staying put, with Roman Anthony’s return unclear and Gold Glove winners Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela squeezing playing time, fitting BoSox Injection‘s description of a trade chip. No source has confirmed a Lindor framework beyond this hypothetical.
Red Sox Turnaround Changes Deadline Strategy
Boston enters the stretch run having won nine straight and 14 of its last 16. The club sits just one-half game back of the final wild card spot with 71 games remaining â a more than realistic shot at the postseason despite sitting two games under .500 and a mystifying 17-27 at Fenway Park.
No source has detailed what package New York would require. But the fact that Boston now weighs buying instead of selling marks its own kind of turnaround, whatever happens with Lindor and Duran.
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