Red Sox
While the Red Sox might keep Duran for the rest of the 2025 season, his long-term future in Boston might be murky.
Jarren Duran’s name has been a common fixture in trade rumors for the last several weeks, but it doesn’t appear any speculated moves surrounding the Red Sox outfielder will come to fruition in the coming days.
The Red Sox are likely to keep Duran on their roster after the MLB trade deadline on July 31, the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman reported.
Additionally, the Red Sox have also rejected a trade from the Padres in which they would’ve sent Duran for starting pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas, and another prospect, MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported. However, McAdam noted that the Red Sox are “likely” to move Duran at some point down the line.
With Duran appearing likely to remain in Boston for the rest of the 2025 season, the Red Sox will continue to have a glut of outfielders. That could limit what they might be able to add to their lineup ahead of the deadline, as one of their outfielders has occupied the designated hitter spot in all but two games since the Rafael Devers trade.
But the decision to keep Duran in might empower Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to use their outfield prospects in a deal for a pitcher, or something else, ahead of the deadline. With Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer set to graduate as prospects soon, outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia (known by some as “The Password”) will become one of the Red Sox’ top-two hitting prospects. Outfielder and first baseman James Tibbs, who the Red Sox acquired in the Devers trade, will also move up in Boston’s prospect system rankings.
While the paths for Garcia and Tibbs to get big league playing time in Boston are tough, though, it would take a lot for the Red Sox to move the former and the team values the latter, McAdam reported. Garcia, 22, has particularly shone this season, hitting .295 with a .900 OPS and 11 homers in 47 games with Triple-A Worcester.
With Garcia projected to reach the big leagues in 2026, Boston could be incentivized to move Duran over the offseason if it’d like to the fast-rising prospect. In that scenario, the Red Sox’ outfield might feature Anthony (left field) and Ceddanne Rafaela (center field) as everyday players, while Wilyer Abreu and Garcia split time in right field.
Continuing to look into 2026, the Red Sox waiting to trade Duran until the offseason might allow more room for more potential suitors. The Twins are reportedly unlikely to move ace Joe Ryan ahead of the trade deadline, while it’s unclear if the Pirates want to trade righty Mitch Keller before July 31, according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal.
Trades involving Duran for either of those pitchers in the offseason could make sense for both teams. Minnesota’s offense has been subpar this season and its left field situation is unsettled beyond 2025, making Duran a possible fit.
As for Pittsburgh, Rosenthal noted that trading Keller would be the Pirates’ easiest path to improve their lineup while shedding salary. Durran is under team control through the end of the 2028 season and should be on the relatively cheaper end as he’s still in his arbitration years.
Keller, meanwhile, is also signed through the end of the 2028 season. His five-year, $77 million extension will pay him north of $55 million total over the next three years, which could be enticing for the Red Sox as they’re reportedly seeking a pitcher who is under contract for multiple years. The 29-year-old is in the midst of a career year, posting a 3.53 ERA so far this season.
For now, though, Duran seems likely to have to continue to sweat out the 2025 season while questions about his long-term future continue to linger. But he indicated that he wasn’t too concerned with the trade talk in an interview with the “Section 10” podcast in late June.
“Honestly, the way I think about it is I have absolutely no say and no control, so why would I even give it two thoughts?” Duran said of his name being in trade rumors. “That’s the way I think about it. … At the end of the day, I have absolutely no control, so the more I feed that into my own brain, the more it’s gonna tear me up. So I just don’t really think about it. If it happens, it happens, but at the end of the day, I have no control.”
Entering Saturday, Duran’s hitting .254 with a .749 OPS, nine homers, 53 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases this season.
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