The Boston Red Sox have slowly climbed into buyer's territory as the trade deadline approaches following consecutive sweeps of the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies. Boston holds the final American League Wild Card spot and its deadline needs have begun to take shape.
Still, one of the most common rumors around the Red Sox is that they will ship Jarren Duran to the San Diego Padres. Links between Duran and the Friars have persisted since last season, and MLB insider Jeff Passan reaffirmed the rumors in his latest list of potential moves for postseason contenders.
Passan mentioned the Red Sox's outfield logjam as a potential reason for trading Duran, and that they could spin him to fill other deficiencies in their lineup, such as starting or relief pitching. He also mentioned Wilyer Abreu as a trade candidate, but noted that "No player and team have been linked as strongly as Duran and the Padres."
Duran has only looked like a better trade candidate in recent games. He's batting .367/.387/.767 with four doubles, a triple, two homers and 11 RBI through eight games in July. He's raised his season slash line to .262/.318/.438 over 93 games.
MLB insider Jeff Passan reaffirms Jarren Duran-Padres trade rumors amid torrid streak at the plate
The Padres lack power and energy in left field, with Tyler Wade, Gavin Sheets, Bryce Johnson and Trenton Brooks on the depth chart. Duran would help take their outfield to the next level alongside Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Duran is under team control until after the 2028 season and the former MVP candidate will demand quite the price if Boston decides to move him. San Diego's farm system is still underwhelming in the wake of the 2023 Juan Soto trade with the Nationals, and their top prospect, shortstop Leo De Vries, is believed to be off the table. Passan didn't rule out the possibility of a three-team trade, which could vastly improve the pool of return talent the Red Sox have to choose from.
Duran's hot streak has helped the Red Sox look much more like buyers as the trade deadline approaches, but trading him would open every day lineup spots for Ceddanne Rafela, whose defense in center field is an absolute must, Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony. Boston could also wait until the offseason to trade one of its outfielders, but keeping both Duran and Abreu isn't sustainable long-term.