The Boston Red Sox made their move at the trade deadline, bringing in Adley Rutschman, Curtis Mead, Erik Miller, and a few other pieces to boost their playoff push. They also cleared some salary by moving Marcelo Mayer, but one big name stayed put.
Jarren Duran wasn’t going anywhere, much to his own surprise.
The All-Star outfielder was having a brutal 2026 season, and his struggles made it seem like Boston would cut bait come August. Instead, the Red Sox held onto him – a decision that caught even Duran off guard.
Duran didn’t think he’d get traded. He thought he’d get released.
“To be honest, I thought I was going to be released… I am the worst player in MLB statistically. I hate looking at the numbers but when you’re going bad, you look at the numbers and it was pretty obvious how bad I was,” Duran said
That quote came via Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, and it captures just how far Duran’s confidence had fallen. When you’re an All-Star calling yourself the worst player in baseball, that’s rock bottom.
But something’s changed since the deadline passed.
The Turnaround
Duran’s shown his appreciation for Boston’s faith in a big way. Over his last seven games, he’s hitting .308/.333/.538/.871 with two home runs and four RBI.
That’s brought his season line to .203/.259/.354/.613 with 10 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBI, and 16 stolen bases across 105 games. Those numbers still look rough, but here’s the thing – Duran was hitting sub-.180 just a couple weeks ago.
The improvement is real, even if there’s a long way to go.
What makes this interesting is the timing. Roman Anthony’s return is looming, which means Duran’s spot in the lineup isn’t guaranteed long-term. The Red Sox have been pretty open about shopping him this offseason, so this hot streak couldn’t come at a better time for his trade value.
From where I’m sitting, this feels like a win-win situation developing. If Duran keeps hitting like this, Boston gets something useful back in a trade. If he doesn’t, well, they weren’t planning on keeping him anyway.
The 2024 All-Star MVP still has enough pedigree to attract interest, especially if he can string together a few more weeks like this. Teams love buying low on talent, and Duran’s speed-power combination doesn’t just disappear overnight.
All things considered, Boston’s patience might pay off. Sometimes the best trades happen when you don’t force them.
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