Red Sox 28-Year-Old All-Star Involved In Ridiculous Padres Trade Speculation

Every Boston Red Sox fan is anxiously waiting for top prospect Roman Anthony to arrive in the majors. But getting him there isn't worth trading away a proven All-Star.

To some degree, the Red Sox do have a problem on their hands. In Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu, they've got a starting outfield that has as intriguing a mix of proven talent and upside as almost any other team in the American League.

When Anthony comes up, he'll have to play every day, so someone is either going to have to be traded, benched, or shifted around to a handful of positions to make it happen. The latter option mostly applies to Rafaela, who can play three infield spots on top of his Platinum Glove-worthy center field defense.

But if the Red Sox are going to go the trade route, Duran is the last player they should consider moving. Despite what some on the internet may say.

On Monday, Jon Vankin of Newsweek came up with the far-fetched idea that Duran could be shipped to the San Diego Padres in exchange for some combination of Gavin Sheets to play first base and some pitching prospects.

"Why would the Red Sox part with Duran? The fact is, he simply is not living up to the standards he set last year, so far," Vankin wrote. "His OPS is down to .762 from .834 last season. He belted 21 home runs in 2024. At his current pace, given the same number of plate appearances (735), he would hit only 12 this year.

"At age 28, turning 29 on Sept. 5, Duran is no longer a prospect. His long-term upside would appear to be considerably lower that that of the 21-year-old Anthony. For the Padres, however, he would provide an upgrade immediately as they battle to win their division."

Duran's OPS rose 10 points on Monday after Vankin's article, so consider the following: Last season, through 55 games, Duran's OPS was .776. He got hot, made his first career All-Star Game, and finished the season with a team-high 8.7 bWAR.

Duran's OPS through 55 games this year? .772.

We've already been watching Duran get hot over the last few weeks, ever since he re-introduced his leg kick during the series in Kansas City. He's got a .338/.385/.535 slash line in the 17 games since he made the switch, racking up eight extra-base hits.

It's not even worth contemplating what a Padres trade package might look like, because Duran isn't going anywhere. The two might be different players, but the Red Sox would be thrilled if Anthony develops into as valuable a piece as Duran.