The Red Sox have a pretty clear offseason checklist: find a right-handed starter, move on from Jarren Duran, and add some thump to the lineup. There’s a path that could help Boston check off the first two items in one swing, and it starts with a Texas Rangers club that suddenly looks vulnerable.
Texas has been hit hard by the news that center fielder Evan Carter underwent hip surgery, an injury that will keep him out at the start of the 2027 season. Carter’s breakout came during the 2023 postseason, but his production has dipped since then, and so much of his value is tied to his legs that the surgery changes the conversation around him in a big way.
The Rangers already had outfield needs before that setback. Now, finding someone who can handle center field has become even more important.
That fits with what Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young has said about the club’s offseason goals: get more athletic, get more dynamic, and keep durability front and center. Those concerns apply to Carter, and they also apply to Wyatt Langford.
That’s where Duran enters the picture. On paper, he’s the kind of player Texas could talk itself into if it decides it needs speed, athleticism, and a chance to get a former fan favorite back on track.
There’s also the financial side. The latest buzz from Rangers camp is that payroll will stay flat year over year at $190 million.
Spotrac currently projects Texas at $182 million, which doesn’t leave much room to attack multiple needs. That has led Rangers insider Evan Grant to suggest the club may have to move one of its highest-paid players: Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom, or Nathan Eovaldi.
A Duran-for-Eovaldi deal stands out as the cleanest fit for both sides.
The Rangers’ problem is that all three of those big contracts come with complications. Seager still has five years and $157.5 million left on his deal and is coming off another injury-marred season.
Eovaldi and deGrom are both in the final year of their contracts. On top of that, all three have full no-trade clauses.
Eovaldi might be the easiest to imagine moving. If he were willing to approve a deal, a return to Boston would make sense on a few levels. He’s beloved there, he earned the “Nasty Nate” nickname, and the chance to chase another ring before the end of his career could be appealing.
The money lines up, too. Eovaldi is due $24 million in 2027, while Duran is projected to make $11.1 million in arbitration. That would give Texas about $13 million in salary relief, while Boston would land a needed right-handed starter at a net cost of $13 million over one year.
Eovaldi’s 2027 season included some minor injuries and a 4.20 ERA over 145 2/3 innings. Even so, he was excellent in 2025, posting a 1.73 ERA over 130 innings. The durability question is real, but he still looks like a lower-cost alternative to reuniting with Sonny Gray in free agency.
And for Boston, the ripple effect matters. If the Red Sox land Eovaldi and move Duran, they’d open up room in the outfield for a player in the Randy Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki mold.
They’d also have more money left over to chase a slugger, since they wouldn’t need to spend separately on a starter in free agency. That’s the kind of move that could shape the rest of the winter.
In Other News...
Red Sox Power Problem Could Force A Painful Offseason Decision
Bostons lack of pop was one of the defining issues of the 2026 season, with the Red Sox finishing near the bottom of the league in home runs and runs scored. That kind of offensive shortage has a way of reshaping an offseason, and it is already pushing the front office toward a familiar but uncomfortable idea: if the lineup needs a true middle-of-the-order force, the answer may have to come from outside the organization.
Craig Breslow does not have an easy path to get there. The clubs supply of young pitching prospects has thinned after recent trades, which limits the kinds of packages Boston can put together, and the most attractive chips left are Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. Moving either one would be a serious call, especially for a player who can realistically bring 35 to 40 homers a year, because that sort of power is hard to find and even harder to pry loose. [Read more 🡒]
Wilyer Abreu's Rise Leaves Red Sox Facing A Costly Offseason Call
Wilyer Abreus breakout season has given the Red Sox exactly the kind of problem every front office says it wants. After winning his third straight Gold Glove in right field and leading all players in defensive runs saved and outs above average, he also put himself in position for a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award after the best offensive year of his career. For a player who has grown into one of Bostons most valuable regulars on both sides of the ball, the rise has been as steady as it has been sudden.
Now the challenge shifts from appreciation to accounting. Abreu is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, and the combination of elite defense and a stronger bat figures to push his price tag up fast. That leaves the Red Sox weighing a player whose value keeps climbing against the reality that his improved profile could also make him more expensive to keep, and more attractive if the club starts listening on trade possibilities. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Be Eyeing A Risky Rotation Bet
The Red Sox are being linked to another rotation gamble, this time in the form of Casey Mize. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report floated the idea of Boston bringing in the free-agent right-hander on a short-term deal after a 2026 season that showed both sides of his profile, with strong work for the Detroit Tigers before a rougher stretch following his trade to the San Diego Padres.
For Boston, the appeal is obvious enough. Mize has the kind of track record that can tempt a team looking for starting-pitching help without making a long commitment, and the fit becomes even more interesting with Sonny Gray potentially out of the picture. It is the sort of move that could stabilize the rotation if it clicks, but it also carries the kind of risk the Red Sox have to weigh carefully this winter. [Read more 🡒]