MLB insider shares what Red Sox are asking for in a possible Jarren Duran trade

Jarren Duran’s name has been at the center of trade rumors all offseason, but the Red Sox are setting a high bar to move him.

Boston is seeking a “front-of-the-rotation” starting pitcher in a trade for Duran, ESPN’s Jeff Passan shared in a social media post. However, Passan added that “no team” has been willing to offer such a pitcher for the Red Sox’ outfielder at this point.

There have been a few teams speculated as potential candidates to land Duran in a trade this offseason. The Royals have seemed to be the team most linked to Duran in trade talks, with MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reporting in November that Kansas City thought Boston’s asking price was “too high.” It was later reported by The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal that the Royals were “under the impression” they’d have to give up All-Star pitcher Cole Ragans for Duran.

If traded, Duran would arguably be one of the top hitters moved this offseason. The 29-year-old had a pretty solid year after being named an All-Star for the first time in 2024, hitting .256 with a .774 OPS, 16 home runs, and 84 RBIs in 157 games. He was also third in the American League in doubles (41), led the American League in triples (13), and had 24 stolen bases.

But Passan later noted that teams are still placing a high value on pitchers around the league, especially after some of the trades made this offseason.

“Considering the return the Rays got on Shane Baz, teams are going to be that much more emboldened to price starting pitchers very aggressively, even with the paucity of good bats left beyond the very top of the free agent market,” Passan added.

The trade Passan is referring to is the deal the Orioles made to get Baz earlier in December, surrendering four prospects and a draft pick. In the deal, the Rays got two of the Orioles’ top-10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, for a pitcher who logged a 4.87 ERA last season. Last offseason, the Red Sox gave up a pair of top-100 prospects (Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery) in order to get Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.

Of course, the Red Sox don’t necessarily need to trade Duran this offseason. He’s under team control for three more seasons, agreeing to a one-year, $7.7 million deal for the 2026 season in November to avoid going to arbitration.

But the Red Sox are still dealing with a bit of a logjam in the outfield, even after Rob Refsnyder’s decision to sign with the Mariners. Roman Anthony figures to be an everyday outfielder, while Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters earlier this week that the team wants Ceddanne Rafaela in center field. Manager Alex Cora has also expressed a desire for Wilyer Abreu to get more opportunities to hit against lefties, leaving little room for another outfielder to be a part of the mix.

Still, The Boston Globe‘s Tim Healey recently reported that Breslow is comfortable keeping Duran and the other three outfielders on the Red Sox’ roster come Opening Day.

“We have to listen because it would be, I think, irresponsible not to,” Breslow told reporters at the Winter Meetings earlier in December. “But the bar we’re going to hold is really high, because each of those guys is capable of contributing multiple wins to our team.”