The Red Sox may be heading into winter with Jarren Duran at the center of the conversation.
MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam reported that Boston is “widely expected” to shop the outfielder once the offseason market opens, though he also made clear Duran is not in line to be non-tendered.
“Duran is now two years away from free agency,” McAdam wrote. “He’s coming off his worst year (.207 BA, 76 OPS+) but still has value because of his combination of power (20 homers) and speed (21 steals) to go with above average defense. It’s widely expected that the Red Sox will look to deal him this winter, but he’ll no doubt be tendered.”
That framing leaves Boston with a real decision, but not an urgent one. Duran’s 2026 season was rough at the plate: he hit .207 across 151 games, struck out 165 times and drew just 41 walks, his lowest total in a season since 2023. The contact issues and lack of on-base production clearly dinged his value.
Still, there’s enough underneath the surface to make him interesting to other clubs. Duran remained a strong defender and finished in the 90th percentile in outs above average.
Even in a down year, he put together 20 homers, 69 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 15 doubles. The ingredients are still there.
The question is whether he can cut down the swing-and-miss enough to look more like the player Boston had in 2024 and 2025.
From the Red Sox perspective, this isn’t just about Duran’s numbers. It’s also about roster fit. Boston is loaded in the outfield, and if nothing changes, the club could head into the 2027 season with one of those outfielders in the designated hitter spot, just as it did to begin the 2026 season.
That’s what makes Duran such a tricky case. He’s 30, still has two seasons of control left, and won’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season.
He also has a ceiling that’s hard to ignore when he’s right. The Red Sox don’t have to force anything, especially if the return isn’t worth it.
But if a team offers a meaningful package, or if Boston finds a better path for the DH spot, a deal starts to make sense.
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