Going into the offseason, the Boston Red Sox have a couple of major issues to deal with. None of them are new issues, either.
The Red Sox once again struggled offensively over the course of the season. They finished 23rd in runs scored and tied for 18th in OPS. By the time the postseason rolled around, the bats completely disappeared. So, yet again, it's clear that the Red Sox need to add power to the lineup, particularly from the right side of the plate.
Then, the Red Sox never addressed their outfield logjam. Entering 2026, the Red Sox had Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Nate Eaton, and even Kristian Campbell fighting for time in the outfield. They'd go on to add Eli White and Jahmai Jones to the outfield too.
Now, the Red Sox need to make tough decisions to both add power to the lineup and clear that logjam. Because of that, it looks like Jarren Duran could finally be on the move after years of trade rumors.
In 2026, Jarren Duran managed to have a 20-20 season with the Red Sox. Despite that, he was still a major issue at the plate for Boston.
Duran had a .207 batting average, .266 OBP, .361 slugging percentage, and .627 OPS. He only had 15 doubles and 5 triples, down from 48 doubles and 14 triples in his All-Star season back in 2024. Per Baseball Reference, that's just 0.4 WAR.
Without injuries adding up, it's likely that Duran would have sat much more than he did, playing in 151 games. Even with that, Chris Cotillo of MassLive is reporting the Red Sox will likely try and trade Duran.
"With that backdrop, a trade involving Duran is expected to once again be squarely in play for the Red Sox — and something that the 30-year-old might welcome considering the stage of his career (he's two years from free agency) and a dwindling opportunity in Boston," Cotillo wrote .
So, what can the Red Sox get for Duran? It's hard to say. They would've gotten more from him had they moved him a year ago, when similar trade rumors were swirling, than they're going to this offseason.
"How other teams value him is the big question," Cotillo wrote. "Moving Duran and his projected $11.1 million arbitration salary could help the Red Sox achieve other winter objectives in an offseason in which money might be tighter than people realize."
Having Jarren Duran ended up being helpful for the Red Sox in 2026, even though he wasn't close to the player he'd been in the previous season. That's because injuries added up quickly.
The most notable injury was to Roman Anthony, who only managed to play in 55 games while dealing with a finger injury. That injury ended up knocking him out of the postseason early, and after he suffered an injury in 2025, it's a real concern that he stays healthy.
Beyond Anthony, Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela both also missed time from the outfield. In its own way, those injuries cleared the logjam.
So, if the Red Sox do move on from Duran, they're going to be relying on their health holding up better. Or else, they're going to be scrambling once again in 2027.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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