BOSTON — The San Diego Padres have a major hole in left field that they would like to fill and Padres GM A.J. Preller has long coveted Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, do not currently have an obvious spot into which they could integrate prized outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in the game.
Wouldn’t a deal between the teams make sense?
Yes and no.
An industry source confirmed that, over the course of his periodic check-ins with other teams, Preller recently contacted the Red Sox to ask about Duran’s availability. The Athletic on Monday was the first to confirm San Diego’s interest.
But while Duran may represent the perfect fit for the Padres — relatively affordable for a team currently not in position to add much to its payroll — the same can’t be said from the Red Sox’ perspective.
While moving Duran would enable the Red Sox to promote Anthony to play left field, the Padres don’t have much that could help the Red Sox and their quest to turn their season around.
Boston’s primary needs are starting pitching, bullpen depth and help at the corner infield spots, and the Padres have little they could offer.
San Diego’s top two (healthy) starters are Michael King and Dylan Cease, but both are headed for free agency at the conclusion of the season. As good as both pitchers are, the Red Sox aren’t about to sacrifice three and a half years control of Duran for four months of either King or Cease.
Preller has been so aggressive in recent seasons, pulling off major deals for Juan Soto, Tanner Scott, and Cease, that the Padres prospect base has been dramatically thinned out.
San Diego retains two elite prospects, generally considered among the Top 20 in the game: catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leo De Vries.
But as talented as they are, Salas is just 19 and De Vries is 18. Neither is close to contributing at the major league level. The Red Sox are in the market for someone who can help get their season back on track.
The Padres are not the only team to reach out and inquire about Duran, according to one MLB official. Sensing that the Red Sox are desperate to make room for the arrival of Anthony, those calls have intensified in recent weeks.
But the industry source got the sense that while the Red Sox were willing to discuss Duran, the team was by no means shopping the outfielder.
Duran, who will turn 29 in September, won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season. The Red Sox have made no effort to discuss a contract extension with Duran, in part because Duran will be 32 by the time he hits the open market and typically, athletic players whose games are based on speed, tend to decline as they near their mid-30s.
Under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, the Red Sox have secured Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell to long-term deals which buy out several years of free agency. But they were also far younger than Duran when the contracts were signed.
That’s not to suggest that the Sox are eager to move Duran. But he’s far from untradeable.
In general, teams find it difficult to make significant deals before July, with many organizations more focused on the draft, which takes place during the All-Star break. Also, many teams, even those clearly out of contention, are reluctant to make trades this early in the season, afraid that such transactions will send the wrong signal to the fan base.
The Red Sox, by contrast, are interested in making moves to upgrade their roster. But finding a willing partner, and importantly, one that matches up with their needs, is problematic.
