Boston sees leverage; the rest of the league sees a good player, not a frontline starter return
The most notable part of Jeff Passan’s reply on X about Jarren Duran isn’t that the Red Sox are listening, but how they value him.
According to Passan, Boston views Duran as a trade chip that should return a front-of-the-rotation starter - a price point that, so far, no team has come close to meeting.
That gap matters because it tells you how the Red Sox see both their roster and the current market. They aren’t shopping Duran to clear space, they’re holding him as leverage.
And while that might be an annoying statement to read for some fans, this stance does make sense.
Boston’s outfield is crowded by design:
- Roman Anthony is the future and already paid accordingly
- Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are controlled and elite defensively
- Masataka Yoshida is still on the books, and is essentially immovable
- Nate Eaton is in the mix as a depth piece
One of these pieces was always going to be movable, and that’s before we even talk about the merits of Duran as a trade chip. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP combines age, production, and control better than the rest.
At 29, he’s proven yet young enough to help a contender for multiple seasons. His 2024 breakout was genuine, though 2025 brought regression. He’s not a star but is a true everyday outfielder with speed, pop, and a strong arm - a valuable asset, especially this offseason when bats are scarce and pitching is costly.
MORE RED SOX STORIES:
Rival Exec Praises Current And Future State of Red Sox
MLB.com Says This Team is a “Proven Fit” for Alex Bregman
Christmas Gift Idea: Best Red Sox Tickets for Fenway in 2026
And that’s where the Red Sox valuation starts to make more sense.
The market is clear: to get a real starter, you pay up. Tampa’s haul from Baltimore for Shane Baz raised the bar, and shows teams rarely move controllable pitchers. Boston’s high asking prices reflect this reality.
The problem is, that reality cuts both ways.
Duran isn’t a defensive anchor - metrics confirm it. He helps, but doesn’t carry a position. Teams recognize this, and they know Boston isn’t desperate, so there’s little urgency.
The result: interest with no action, conversations with no progress. Heck, there’s a reason why reports like this one have been surfacing since early December.
These are the true tenets of the “Interest Kings,” really.
And that’s fine as it relates to Duran…for now.
The Red Sox don’t have to trade Duran this winter. With control through 2029, surplus is valuable - so long as Duran is content playing a platoon-like role. But to compete in the AL East in 2026, the rotation needs more certainty. Outside of Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, there’s still a lot up in the air.
The standoff ends with either a team paying up for Duran or Boston lowering its price. The Red Sox shouldn’t force a deal just to act, but they should be more willing to budge given what they’re expecting as a return ultimately feels unrealistic.
The Red Sox see Duran as an asset, not a problem - someone to move only for real value.
But if he’s just going to sit on your bench when you could have used him to help improve your pitching staff in a real way, that’s when the asset becomes an issue in a completely different way.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
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.