Rumors of the Boston Red Sox trading Jarren Duran have already started to simmer, even before Major League Baseball’s hot stove season has officially arrived. Boston will likely trade away the outfielder this winter, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.

In a post Thursday highlighting 10 MLB stars who are “most likely to be traded,” the MLB insider reported that Duran’s name continues to pop up in rumors and the Red Sox will likely move on from the 2024 All-Star in the offseason. Duran could land Boston a pretty good haul on the trade market, according to Bowden.

“Teams such as the Phillies, Dodgers, Tigers, Guardians and Rangers would love to land him. He’s also controllable through the 2028 season, so it would take a huge haul for the Red Sox to move him,” Bowden reported.

Boston opted to keep Duran after his breakout season in 2024, but his value is down after he slashed just .256/.332/.442 during the 2025 MLB season. But Duran still socked 16 homers, 41 doubles, and an American League-leading 13 triples, while also successfully stealing 24 bases across 30 attempts.

While he was a bit uneven in 2025, Duran can still wreak havoc in the lineup and make some spectacular grabs in the outfield. He’s also set to make just $8 million in 2026 and is under team control through 2028, so there should be a lot of interest in Duran from outfield-needy teams if the Red Sox make him available.

Trading Duran could land Boston some more starting pitching, and including him in a bigger package could potentially net the Red Sox the No. 2 starter they desperately need behind ace Garrett Crochet. Bowden also has the Red Sox loosely connected to a few potentially available arms in Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene and Florida’s Sandy Alcantara on the trade market this winter. 

Red Sox outfield depth

The Red Sox have a bit of a logjam in the outfield following the emergence of rookie Roman Anthony. If the team does trade away Duran, they’d be left with Wilyer Abreu in right, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and Roman Anthony in left. Veteran outfielder Rob Refsnyder is a free agent this offseason, but could be brought back as a depth piece/lefty killer.

Boston could potentially keep Duran so the team’s outfield depth is intact, considering Anthony missed the end of the season with oblique strain and Abreu had two different stints on the IL during the season. If the Red Sox can trade away Masataka Yoshida instead, it would open the DH spot for either Duran or Anthony.

Dealing Duran would create an opening for Anthony in left field, after he spent most of his time in right during his rookie campaign. It may also be the team’s best path toward getting more starting pitching, outside of dealing away some of Boston’s top prospects not-named Anthony.