The Reds have a clear fit in Jarren Duran, but they may not be the only club circling the Red Sox outfielder this winter.
Boston is said to be shopping Duran this offseason, and Cincinnati makes sense on paper. The Reds need more punch from their outfield, and Duran’s track record before last season gives him plenty of appeal as a bounce-back target. He’s under team control through 2028, and MLB Trade Rumors projects his 2027 salary at just over $11 million.
That number is manageable, but it still comes with a real cost. Duran is coming off a rough year with Boston, hitting .207/.266/.361, and that dip has clearly affected his trade market. Even so, he was much better across the three seasons before that, batting .276/.339/.471 with a 123 wRC+.
The problem for Cincinnati is San Diego. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last month that the Padres are still in the mix for Duran, and they were among his biggest suitors at the August 3 trade deadline.
The two sides never reached a deal then, even though San Diego reportedly offered Boston a package that included former ace Dylan Cease and top prospect Ethan Salas for Duran in 2025. The Red Sox turned it down.
That kind of offer won’t be there now. Duran’s down year has taken a bite out of his value, and Boston won’t be getting anything close to that level of return this winter.
But if the Reds want him, they’ll still have to get past A.J. Preller, and that’s never a comfortable place to be.
Still, Cincinnati and Boston could be linked again in a different kind of blockbuster. Former Reds general manager Jim Bowden said the Red Sox remain interested in Elly De La Cruz, and Boston reportedly checked in on his availability at the trade deadline before being turned away. Bowden added that if the Red Sox miss on CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals, they could circle back to De La Cruz.
For the Reds, Duran would be a useful addition. The question is whether San Diego’s persistence finally gets rewarded now that his trade value has dropped.
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