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Red Sox Trade Idea Lands AL East Slugger After Jarren Duran News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 7:30 PM ET

It remains uncertain what the Boston Red Sox plan to do heading into the trade deadline at the end of July. For a Red Sox organization that had an opportunity to win the division entering the year, at least on paper, there's a scenario where they could be buyers, despite playing like one of the worst teams in the American League East.

If the Red Sox look to make a move, it has to come at first base. The team has been searching for a first baseman over the past few weeks and has attempted to fill in the gaps with some average players, to say the least.

Searching for a potential option, Mike Cole of NESN recently proposed a trade idea for the Red Sox to acquire Ryan Mountcastle of the Baltimore Orioles, adding that Jim Bowden of The Athletic stated Mountcastle could be available.

“Mountcastle probably makes more sense as a low-risk move. The problem, as Bowden notes, is he’s injured. The 28-year-old is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, and those can linger. He’s a right-handed bat, though, so he’d help balance the batting order when healthy. He has seen his power numbers dip over the years, and he has struggled to replicate his rookie season in 2021 when he hit 33 home runs and drove in 89 runs,” Cole wrote.

Mountcastle is dealing with an injury, but when he's been healthy, there have been periods throughout his career where he looks to be a very good player.

His best season came during the 2021 campaign, when he hit 33 home runs.

After hitting just 18 in 2023 and 13 in 2024, there are questions about whether his power is what it used to be. However, he still managed to post an OPS+ above 110 in both of those seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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