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With the Red Sox boasting a surplus of outfielders and the Royals holding quite a few quality starting pitchers, the two American League teams are logical trading partners.
They’ve been in discussions, accordingly.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Royals and Red Sox have discussed a trade for All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran. Passan didn’t provide any information on the return Boston was seeking, however.
“The Royals have been active on the trade market too, looking to acquire another outfielder,” Passan writes. “They have discussed acquiring Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox and inquired about pitcher MacKenzie Gore and infielder CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals, according to sources. Though the talks haven’t yielded a deal, the Royals’ efforts to improve on an 82-80 season are clear.”
Royals starter Cole Ragans could be an intriguing trade candidate for the Red Sox, though they’d likely need to include more than Duran alone to get that deal done. Ragans, a 28-year-old lefty, is under team control through 2028 and was an All-Star in 2024.
Ragans battled a rotator cuff strain and went 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts last year, but posted a 2.50 FIP and 1.184 WHIP, while striking out 38.1% of the batters he faced. His 2.67 expected ERA and .189 expected batting average against were among the best in the league.