Jarren Duran has long been the subject of trade speculation. Throughout 2024, his breakout performance netted huge praise and plenty of trade rumors. It didn’t help that the San Diego Padres have apparently shown plenty of interest in the lightning fast outfielder.
Rumors of his departure from the Boston Red Sox have continued in 2025 and remain a big talking point as the offseason gets underway. Coupled with the logjam in the Boston's outfield, it has seemed that Duran might be the odd man out, allowing the team’s leadership group to leverage his talents as part of a package to bring in new pitching depth.
But two well-placed Boston insiders have thrown cold water on these notions. Both Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive believe that Duran is going to remain a major cog in the Sox's game plan next season, but for varying reasons. Christopher Smith thinks otherwise and believes that a continued pursuit from San Diego this winter will see him suiting up for the Friars come the spring. New contract developments may just hint at that outcome, but there’s certainly something to be said for the opposing view.
Cotillo expects one of Boston’s outfielders to be traded. In his view, Ceddanne Rafaela is a big piece of bait for another team to chomp on. Winning his first Gold Glove award adds serious value to a player who is thought of as potentially the best center fielder in the game at present. His team-friendly price tag (six years, $48 million with the addition of a club option) makes him an even more attractive trade piece. Although, Cotillo notes that losing Rafaela’s presence in the grass would absolutely hurt. Even so, he thinks that Duran’s trade value has taken too much of a dip in the season since his 2024 tour de force.
2 Red Sox insiders don't foresee a Jarren Duran trade this offseason
Duran has been a more effective center fielder in Boston than as the team’s left field defender. Because of this, Cotillo anticipates the loss of Rafaela to feel a little less dramatic than it might be otherwise. Moving an outfielder and shifting Duran back to center field would deliver solutions to a few key lineup squeezes affecting the Red Sox. It would make way for Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony’s power to be an everyday presence while improving on Rafaela’s spot in the batting order. Both players accumulated 4.7 bWAR and hit 16 home runs in 2025, but Duran tallied 13 triples (leading the league), more stolen bases, and a 114 OPS+ to Rafaela’s 95. There are worse outcomes, for sure.
Instead of moving on from one of the quartet of outfielders, McAdam envisions a world in which the Red Sox trade liberally from the farm system while preserving much of the major league roster, including Duran. Alex Cora’s penchant for making subtle tweaks to the lineup lends itself nicely to an outfield rotation, and this is something that was already at play in 2025, with Rob Refsnyder platooning in the grass (and seeing playing time in 70 games).
Instead of shipping Duran off, McAdam envisions him platooning in the outfield and spending time rotating through the team’s DH role. This will give the outfield talent regular rest throughout the season and keep his bat and baserunning skills in the lineup on days he’s not wearing a glove.