With several high-profile players now off the board following Winter meetings, the Boston Red Sox are running out of star free agent options.
Among pitchers, Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi, Matthew Boyd, and Luis Severino were locked down before Winter Meetings commenced. Shane Bieber rejoined the Guardians, Alex Cobb signed with the Tigers, Max Fried went to the Yankees, and Nathan Eovaldi re-signed with the Rangers. Left fielders Tyler O'Neill and Michael Conforto also signed with the Orioles and Dodgers respectively, this week.
Turning to the trade market, Boston still has a few options. The Sox already traded for White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, and rumors of them acquiring Marlins’ Jesús Luzardo and Padres’ Dylan Cease are swirling. While the Sox filled the need for acquiring a stellar starting pitcher, they still may look to add another arm, fix their lefty-lineup woes, or improve their infield defense.
Though the Sox made a big move by trading Kyle Teel, ranked No. 4 in Boston's farm system, there's still time left to make big moves. Here are three dark horse Sox players that could be traded before 2025.
2 dark horse Red Sox players that could be traded before 2025
Triston Casas
At this point, Casas being traded wouldn’t be a surprise. On the first day of Winter Meetings, Adam Jude and Ryan Divish from The Seattle Times reported that the Sox attempted to trade Casas for the Mariners' Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. The Mariners didn’t budge, though, and look quite reluctant to part with any of their starting pitchers (other than Luis Castillo, who represents the largest financial commitment on the payroll in 2025).
Despite the declined trade, Casas is still on the trade block. He’s a powerful lefty batter who "has great strike zone discipline and controls an at-bat," as Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said when he addressed rumors of trading Casas in November. Though a nasty rib injury kept Casas from playing over half the 2024 season, he still slugged a whopping .462 and hammered 13 home runs. Casas’ youth and composure are still enough to make him an eligible trade piece despite his shortened year.
Jarren Duran
Duran is another player who has generated plenty of trade rumors. Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston floated Duran as part of a potential trade for Pirates’ pitcher Jared Jones. Bob Osgood of SB Nation also predicted he wouldn’t stay in Boston next year.
Dealing Duran might carry the most risk of all the dark horse players that may be traded. His .285/.342/.492 slash line, 6.2 offensive WAR, and 2.5 defensive WAR this year are almost too good to be true for his fourth year in the league. While he fits in well with Boston, Duran's stock might be at its peak, and his one-year, $4.11 million contract only makes him an even more attractive trade candidate.