The Angels may not be staring at a wild winter, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a smart move sitting right in front of them.
With the offseason expected to stay pretty quiet as the club waits through the looming lockout and the official closing of the transaction that will see Stan Kroenke take control from Arte Moreno, Los Angeles still has room to be opportunistic. That’s the lane John Mozeliak has to work with: not splashy, not reckless, just useful baseball decisions that stretch the roster without emptying the wallet.
One path runs through the trade market, especially with former top prospects who need a fresh start. Another comes from the arbitration and non-tender world, where clubs can uncover talent without paying full freight. That’s where Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran starts to look interesting.
Boston already has a crowded outfield picture. Roman Anthony is locked in on a big extension, Wilyer Abreu has been a steady all-around piece, Ceddanne Rafaela is one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, and Masataka Yoshida is owed $18.6 million in 2027.
On top of that, there are early rumblings that Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena could be a free-agent target for the Red Sox. Since every one of those outfielders except Rafaela bats left-handed, Boston adding Arozarena would only tighten the squeeze and make moving one of them even more likely.
Duran looks like the odd man out, and arbitration could be the thing that pushes him over the edge. The 30-year-old is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make $11.1 million in 2027, which is a hefty price tag for someone who could wind up as the spare part in a crowded mix.
That would be especially true after what he put on paper in 2026. Duran’s season fell apart, and badly. He hit just .207/.266/.361, a huge drop from the player Boston had once viewed as a major asset.
Not long ago, he would have been the kind of trade chip teams chased. Now, the Red Sox might have trouble finding much of a market at all, and a non-tender would not be out of the question. The Angels could wait for that outcome, but there’s an argument for getting ahead of it with a low-cost offer before the rest of the league starts circling.
The appeal is all about the upside that still exists. Duran was electric in 2024, putting up a .285/.342/.492 line with 21 homers and 38 steals.
That season earned him an All-Star nod, and he went on to win the Midsummer Classic MVP. It was also a 6.9 fWAR year.
He didn’t match that level in 2025, but he was still productive, batting .256/.332/.442 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases. Over the years, he’s also graded out as a plus defender.
If he bounces back after a change of scenery, Duran could give the Angels the kind of power-speed-defense package they were hoping Josh Lowe might supply this past season.
He’s spent most of the last couple of years in left field, but he logged the bulk of his center-field innings in 2024 and had decent stretches there in both 2025 and 2026. He may not be a Gold Glover in center, but with Mike Trout asking to play left field and take plenty of DH days, having a capable big league center fielder would fit cleanly.
In the end, the attraction is simple: this would mostly cost money, and not an outrageous amount of it. Until Kroenke’s deep pockets arrive and the real spending starts, a move like this could be exactly the kind of quiet, savvy gamble that pays off.
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