Craig Breslow is saying “we’re all set,” but does he actually mean it?
On Monday, Tim Healy of The Boston Globe shared this nugget in his latest on Boston’s offseason:
“According to executives from multiple clubs that have been in the market for outfielders and have talked trade possibilities with the Red Sox, Breslow’s message has been consistent. He has Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran on the roster. He is comfortable keeping it that way into next season unless a team convinces him not to.”
Last month, Healy said on the Foul Territory YouTube channel that he felt like a trade of one of Boston’s four outfielders was more likely than not:
“I think a trade of an outfielder is very likely. And if you look at the outfielders, the Red Sox have, Jarren Duran kind of feels like the odd man out more than the other guys. And it will depend on once the Red Sox start talking to other teams, who teams like and what they're willing to give up. And that will shape a lot of this, because the Red Sox like Jarren Duran, and they'd be happy to keep Jarren Duran if they can make the roster in the outfield work.
“So if some team wants to blow them out of the water for Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony can go play right field. But if somebody wants Jarren Duran, then Roman Anthony will play left. The wild card here is [Cedddanne] Rafaela, who is amazing at center field, [but] really streaky at the plate. So I don't think they'll trade Rafaela, because as an elite defender alone, his contract is really team friendly. So, you know, I think they'll keep Rafaela. I can't completely rule out that he's the one traded. But, you know, with going with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and then one of Duran and Abreu, that's a pretty good outfield.”
In six weeks time, it feels like the tune around Boston’s plan in the outfield has changed. This could be because the market isn’t willing to pay what the Red Sox are seeking, which is something that was reported by ESPN on December 2.
Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel wrote that the Boston front office was valuing Duran, in particular, like he’s a “seven-win player” rather than someone whose career WAR is just under 5 - inflated by his one monster season in 2024.
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That over-inflated value Boston has for Duran has seemingly forced the team to pack up their things and say “we’re all set” when it comes to the trade market. Because let’s face it, Healy’s latest bit of reporting has nothing to do with Roman Anthony or, at the very least, Ceddanne Rafaela. And while Wilyer Abreu’s name has popped up in rumors from time to time, his age (26), status as a two-time defending Gold Glove winner in only two professional seasons and upside as a power hitter make him someone they’re more inclined to hold on to rather than move.
Plus, let’s be honest - Duran is the name that’s constantly floated in trade rumors.
As recently as Monday morning, there was a new report from The Athletic reaffirming Kansas City’s interest in the 29-year-old - something that as of Friday felt like it was very close to getting done.
With high-end talent available on the trade market like Ketel Marte and Freddy Peralta, Boston needs to be willing to part ways with someone like Duran if including him in a package is what gets one of these deals done. The Red Sox need to accept that the 2024 All-Star Game MVP might be more of a throw-in piece in a trade package than just a standalone one-for-one caliber player.
You’re worth as much as the market says you’re worth. And for Boston, it appears Duran’s decline in 2025 culminating in a no-show in October was enough to make them second guess the idea of trading him all together.
Does the upside of a potential Duran bounce-back in a back-up outfielder role outweigh whatever return is being made available to Boston at this time?
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.