Red Sox discussing outfielder Jarren Duran in trade with Padres (report)
The Padres are showing trade interest in Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“The Red Sox are still fielding offers on star closer Kenley Jansen and others,” Heyman wrote. “They have a deep stash of outfield prospects, which has teams asking about Jarren Duran.
“The Padres, seeking a lefty-hitting outfielder, are interested. And the Padres and Dodgers are among candidates for Jansen. But San Diego may be more interested in a starter like Hyun-Jin Ryu.”
Duran enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Red Sox last season before injuring his toe in August. The 27-year-old batted .295 with a .346 on-base percentage, .482 slugging percentage, .828 OPS, eight homers, 34 doubles, two triples, 46 runs and 40 RBIs in 102 games. The California native showed off his speed, swiping 24-of-26 bases last season.
Duran is healthy and told reporters he is ready to go for spring training.
“I think I have the same mindset (entering 2024),” Duran said last month at Winter Weekend. “Nothing’s given. I’m going to go in there like I don’t have a spot. Because you never know. It’s baseball. Things happen. So I’m just going to go in there and work hard and have fun and hang out with the guys. It’s always the mindset I go in with because nothing’s guaranteed. So I just gotta go in there and compete.”
The question is whether he will report in Fort Myers or elsewhere for the upcoming season.
The Padres are in the market for outfielders and the Red Sox have a handful of young players that could be attractive to San Diego. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres and Red Sox have held recent trade discussions.
If the Red Sox trade Duran for a young pitching prospect, the team could pivot and sign outfielder Adam Duvall as a one-year stop gap. Top prospect Roman Anthony could break into the big leagues beginning in 2025.
