Report: Red Sox and others monitoring Twins' Joe Ryan as trade candidate

Ryan is 29 years old and under team control via arbitration for two more seasons after this one, so the Twins would need to get back a major haul if they were going to move him. That could mean a big prospect package. But Morosi also sort of speculated about the idea of Ryan going to the Red Sox for outfielder Jarren Duran, who was an All-Star last season and is known for his consistent availability. Duran played in 160 games last season and has played in 92 of the Red Sox's 93 this year, leading the American League in plate appearances in both years as Boston's leadoff hitter.

"Jarren Duran posts," Morosi said. "And not to necessarily say that this would be the deal, Ryan for Duran, but the Twins (are) a team that has needed guys that post consistently. Duran would fit very nicely for the long term in a lineup like what the Twins have. I'm not putting two and two together and getting 10, but these are just scenarios where the Red Sox, when you've already traded Rafael Devers, what's one more consistent, everyday player who's been an All-Star in the past in Jarren Duran?"

As Morosi mentioned, the 48-45 Red Sox could straddle the line between buying and selling. They already traded Rafael Devers to the Giants in a huge surprise move, and their other outfielders — including Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Masataka Yoshida — could make Duran expendable. Duran, who turns 29 this year, isn't a free agent until 2029. He's having a slightly down year by his standards, but in 2024, he had 83 extra-base hits, 34 steals, and an .834 OPS, finishing eighth in AL MVP voting.

The Twins already have Byron Buxton, Harrison Bader, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner in their outfield, with prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins also in the picture in the next couple years. Still, given the injury histories of Buxton, Rodriguez, and Jenkins, adding someone like Duran could have some appeal for Minnesota.

But if it's Ryan heading to Boston in that hypothetical deal, the Twins' starting rotation would be depleted even further — and they don't exactly have a ton of promising young arms waiting in the wings.

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