"The Red Sox believe Duran is worth a front-of-the-rotation starter. At this point, no one has been willing to pay that. Considering the return the Rays got on Shane Baz, teams are going to be that much more emboldened to price starting pitchers very aggressively, even with the paucity of good bats left beyond the very top of the free agent market."
"Duran is coming off a down season by his standards, but still produced 3.9 WAR in 157 games. He slashed .256/.332/.442 with 16 home runs, 86 runs scored, 84 RBI and 24 stolen bases. His best year came in 2024 when he was nearly a seven win player after hitting .285/.342/.492 with 21 home runs, 111 runs, 75 RBI and 34 stolen bases."
"The Red Sox currently have four starting-caliber outfielders on their club with Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Duran, and the latter three all hit left-handed. Masataka Yoshida is another left-handed hitter with outfield experience on their club, but spent most of his time at designated hitter. The Red Sox have been shopping Duran as a way to potentially trade from a strength to improve their team, but so far they haven't been able to match up on a deal."
The Red Sox have four starting-capable outfielders: Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran, with three of those hitters batting left-handed. Masataka Yoshida provides additional left-handed outfield experience but has spent most time as a designated hitter. Boston has shopped Duran to convert outfield depth into pitching help, and values him as worth a front-of-the-rotation starter, a price few teams have met amid aggressive starter valuations after the Rays' return for Shane Baz. Duran produced 3.9 WAR in 157 games in 2025 after a 2024 near-seven-win season, showed defensive regression in 2025, and remains controlled through 2028, reaching free agency in 2029 at age 32. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a potential suitor if they can meet Boston's pitching-oriented asking price.
Read at Dodger Blue
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