Insiders Reveal Red Sox Asking Price For Jarren Duran

As Jarren Duran's name continues to swirl in trade rumors, MLB insiders have revealed what Craig Breslow and company could be looking for in a return for the 27-year-old outfielder.

Red Sox Rumors: Jarren Duran Trade Value Revealed

Per Robert Murray, the Sox and San Diego Padres "have held trade discussions centered around outfielder Jarren Duran". San Diego's outfield is thin after both superstar Juan Soto and former Gold Glove winner Trent Grisham departed in the offseason. According to Murray, the asking price is high for Duran and a team has yet to come close to meeting that valuation. Jon Heyman supported that assessment, adding on Thursday that the asking price has "gotta be enormous".

Trading Duran would be a classic case of selling high, as the California native enjoyed a breakout 2023 season. He hit .295 with eight home runs and 40 RBI, while swiping 24 stolen bases and adding 34 doubles. Duran missed the last two months of the season with a turf toe injury. He appeared in a career-high 102 games despite starting the season in Triple-A Worcester.

Duran's future production is far from a sure thing. If you strike his 2023 campaign from the record, he is hitting a measly .219 with only five home runs and 27 RBI in 311 at-bats. Was Duran's 2023 performance an aberration, or was it the next step in a young player's development? At this point, there's simply not enough of a sample size to know for sure, and that's a gamble that the Red Sox (and the Padres_ might have to take.

Duran was a highly-ranked Red Sox prospect coming up through the system, cracking Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list in 2019 and appearing in the MLB Futures Game that season as well. He made his MLB debut on July 17, 2021.

A trade of Duran wouldn't be financially incentivized (as a Kenley Jansen or Masataka Yoshida trade would be), as he is in his final year of pre-arbitration before his first arbitration year kicks in prior to the 2025 season. His affordable contract situation could also be driving up Boston's asking price. San Diego's strenuous financial situation is no secret, as the Padres were forced to take out a $50 million loan to cover their payroll, which was MLB's third-largest in 2023.

The Red Sox have demonstrated a philosophy this offseason that focuses on young, controllable-contract players, and Duran undoubtedly fits that mold. It would be a deviation from that philosophy to part ways with the outfielder. He has also demonstrated an ability to perform at the MLB level, regardless of the sample size. It would be surprising if they did ultimately move Duran, which probably explains the "enormous" asking price.

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