It feels like the most likely outcome for Jarren Duran in the next day or so is that he stays with the Boston Red Sox and helps the team in its playoff push.
But it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility the Red Sox part ways with the talented outfielder ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Durran has been the subject of trade rumors for a while with Boston’s logjam of outfielders. His trade value is high and could theoretically bring back something the Sox could use this year and beyond. But the injury to Marcelo Mayer paired with Duran’s undeniable value to the Red Sox right now has made that seem less likely.
However, ESPN’s David Schoenfield included an interesting nugget in his Thursday column that indicates industry experts won’t rule out a Duran trade until the 6 p.m. ET deadline comes and goes.
Schoenfield didn’t include Duran in his “10 players most likely to be traded” column, but he named him as a possible player to be dealt with an interesting note.
“The Duran-for-(Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller) rumors won’t go away,” he wrote.
Teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres have been most connected to Duran in reports. However, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand mentioned the possibility of a Red Sox-Pirates swap in the week before deadline day.
“Keller is drawing significant interest from a variety of teams looking for short- and long-term rotation answers. A straight-up 1-for-1 deal with Boston for Jarren Duran could make perfect sense for both clubs,” Feinsand wrote for MLB.com last Friday.
If the Red Sox did trade Duran — and again, it seems like a bigger “if” by the day — doing so for someone like Keller makes sense. He’s under team control through 2028 and presumably would slot in nicely in the Red Sox rotation behind Garret Crochet and maybe Brayan Bello.
Most importantly for Pittsburgh, Duran is cheap and controlled, so it would make sense for the Buccos, too. However, The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Pirates are likely going to keep Keller.
Things can change, though.
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