Red Sox and Jarren Duran fail to reach an agreement on 2025 salary; arbitration is possible for both sides
The Red Sox were able to agree to terms with three of the four players who were eligible for salary arbitration ahead of Thursday’s 8 p.m. deadline.
Boston and All-Star MVP and outfielder Jarren Duran weren’t able to come to an agreement to avoid salary arbitration, and both sides could be heading to a hearing if they aren’t able to agree to terms.
The two sides formally exchanged numbers; Duran asked for $4 million while the Red Sox countered with $3.5 million. If no agreement is reached, a three-person panel will hear from both sides, and a final number will be issued.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox employ a “file-and-trial” strategy in which they tell players if there’s no agreement before the exchange deadline, negotiations are over and they’ll head to a hearing. Despite that, both sides can still work out a salary for the 2025 season. The last two Red Sox players to go to arbitration were Eduardo Rodriguez in 2019 and Mookie Betts in 2018.
If Duran and the Sox end up in a hearing, he will be present to hear why he shouldn’t be paid the $4 million he asked for and why the club wants to pay him $3.5 million.
Duran is considered a Super Two player, who has accumulated enough service time to get four years in the arbitration system. The Red Sox have team control over Duran through 2028, and the two sides have not talked about an extension. MLBTradeRumors projected Duran to land $4.9 million in his first year of arbitration and will fall short of that figure. Whatever the final number is for Duran, he will make substantially more than last season, where he earned $760,000.
Boston was able to come to terms with Tanner Houck ($3.95 million), Garrett Crochet ($3.8 million), and Kutter Crawford ($2.75 million).
