On Monday, we heard that the Kansas City Royals are still very much interested in acquiring Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.

Well, apparently interest in Duran isn't just limited to the Royals. Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston reports that "It feels like interest in Jarren Duran is heating up in terms of interest from multiple teams, which is why the Red Sox are digging in."

About Duran

Now 29 years old, Duran was the All-Star Game MVP in 2024, though he took a modest step back in 2025. 

He hit .256 for the Red Sox with 16 homers and 84 RBIs while also stealing 24 bases. He posted a 114 OPS+ but led the American League in triples with 13. He also had 40+ doubles for the second straight year.

Even in a 'down' season, he was still an impact player and he'd be a major upgrade to several lineups around baseball. He comes with three years of team control, though his salary will continue to rise through arbitration. He's making $7.7 million this year, and could make upwards of $10 million in each of the next two years following. That means he'd still be a significant financial commitment for some teams.

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Why do the Red Sox want to trade him?

It's not necessarily that they want to trade him, but if they do deal him, it will be because of a roster crunch. The team already has three stellar outfielders (Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu), and they have a DH in Masataka Yoshida. There's not room for all of those pieces, and even if the team moved on from Yoshida, they still have other ways in which they like to rotate the designated hitter spot.

What can the Red Sox expect in a return?

Given that Duran is an impact player with years of team control, the return should be significant. A major league starter? A bullpen piece and a prospect? Multiple well-regarded prospects? There are options and creative ways to get this done, but the Red Sox shouldn't just settle on a deal. Duran is too good for that and if he's gone, the team will have a significant hole in its lineup until they address it.

Timing

A deal can happen at any time, but it feels like the market is heating up in advance of the Christmas holiday. If nothing gets done before the holiday, expect a bit of a dead period until the new year.

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