Report: Padres have interest in Jarren Duran

Report: Padres have interest in Jarren Duran

While we are still two months away from the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, Padres general manager AJ Preller is always hunting in the trade market.

One of the Padres’ biggest weaknesses rests in left field, though designated hitter-turned-outfielder Gavin Sheets has performed amicably in Jason Heyward‘s brief absence. That still isn’t stopping them from exploring the market, nor should it!

One target on their radar is Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin.

“As the Padres face a daunting upcoming schedule and glaring holes at the bottom of their lineup, their list of trade targets again includes Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran,” Lin’s report read. “The Padres expressed interest in Duran ahead of the 2024 season, before veteran left fielder Jurickson Profar and then-rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill joined Duran as first-time All-Stars. Now, an underwhelming Red Sox team might consider Duran expendable; outfielder Roman Anthony remains tantalizingly close to Boston, and a restless fan base has been clamoring for the arrival of the sport’s consensus No. 1 prospect.”

Entering Monday’s game, Duran was slashing .264/.312/.406 with four home runs, 13 doubles, an MLB-most six triples and 34 RBIs. A hot May elevated his OPS+ to 100, sporting a .760 OPS over his last 33 games.

Duran is coming off a career year and still has multiple years of control, so the price wouldn’t be cheap. Boston would kill two birds with one stone if their long-term goal is for Anthony to play left field. But Boston isn’t completely out of postseason contention yet, and they could use his bat at the top of the lineup since it’s a black hole after Rafael Devers in the 2-spot.

Red Sox Change Their Minds About Kristian Campbell Playing First Base

There still isn’t much clarity on Alex Bregman‘s return date, nor is there clarity on who will be the long-term first baseman in his absence. There are plenty of question marks surrounding this roster, so I think the last thing on its mind is parting with the 28-year-old Duran. They need to get Anthony up and go from there, frankly.

San Diego is statistically the worst team in MLB when it comes to its LF production. Preller’s not afraid to overpay, but unless he does, if Boston’s out of the postseason mix, it likely won’t be worth Boston’s time trading away its one-time All-Star.

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