If manifestation really works, Jarren Duran might be wise to have his bags packed.
For more than a year now, Red Sox fans and national analysts alike have been talking his way out of Boston — sketching out mock trades, dream returns, and “inevitable” scenarios as if repetition alone might bend reality. It’s the sports version of speaking something into existence, and lately, the noise around Duran’s future has grown too loud to ignore.
At this point, the question isn’t whether the Red Sox will move Durran. It’s when will the move take place, where will the move take him, and who will be moving to Boston in exchange.
“There are a lot of discussions going around about why trading Jarren Duran makes sense for the Boston Red Sox, and that is 100% true,” said Gabby Maljanian of the Locked On Red Sox podcast. “Though Jarren Duran had a bit of a down year, especially offensively in 2025 compared to where he was at in 2024, trading him off of the Boston Red Sox makes a lot of logical sense.”
Trade Rumors Involving Boston Outfielder Jarren Duran Continue to Swirl
Which isn’t to suggest that Duran brought anything negative to Boston. In fact, what Jarren Duran brings to a team is speed, energy, and chaos — the kind of player who can change the entire rhythm of a game with a single at-bat or a first-to-third sprint.
He’s not a superstar in the traditional sense, but he’s the sort of player every contender quietly covets. The moment he reaches base, pressure mounts. Infielders cheat closer, pitchers get distracted, and catchers start checking their release times. Duran’s athleticism doesn’t just add production — it creates tension.
At the plate, he’s become far more than a slap-hitting speedster. The left-handed outfielder made tangible strides during his All-Star season in 2024, refining his approach and driving the ball with authority to all fields. His exit velocities climbed, his strikeout rate dipped, and he began to look less like a placeholder and more like a foundational piece. When he’s locked in, Duran is the rare blend of leadoff spark and middle-order punch — the kind of hitter who can set the tone early and keep the line moving late.
Defensively, the numbers don’t always tell the full story. Duran’s routes can still wander on occasion, but his top-end speed and improved reads have turned him into a legitimate defender in center or left. He covers gaps with ease, erases doubles, and makes plays that tilt momentum without requiring a highlight reel. For teams that rely on athleticism and run prevention, he fits seamlessly into that style of baseball.
But perhaps the biggest reason Duran would be a strong addition anywhere is his edge. He plays like someone still trying to prove he belongs, and that chip-on-the-shoulder urgency is contagious in a clubhouse. He runs out everything, he celebrates teammates’ success louder than his own, and he’s built a reputation for being coachable and relentless. In a league that increasingly values controllable athleticism, Duran offers both — a team-friendly contract and the kind of game-breaking tools that can thrive in October.
Duran is the guy who doesn’t just fill a need — he changes what a team looks like when it’s running right. Perhaps his style of play would go well with what the Athletics are building.
Athletics Analyst Proposes Trade Sending Luis Severino in Package to Boston for Jarren Duran
In a crossover episode from the Locked On podcast series, Ayad Bunni with the Locked On Athletics proposed that Boston could trade Duran to the Athletics for veteran pitcher Luis Severino, right-handed pitching prospect Braden Nett, and reserve outfielder JJ Bleday. A former All-Star with the New York Yankees who was third in voting for the AL Cy Young Award in 2017, the 31-year-old Severino went 8-11 with a 4.54 ERA for the Athletics last season, and Maljanian agreed that Severino would be a welcome addition to a Red Sox staff that needs a No. 2 starter to slot in behind Garrett Crochet.
“He’s a guy who has been there, done that, has the experience, which is something that the Red Sox definitely could use again with a pretty young team,” Maljanian said of Severino.
And in Nett, who the Athletics received as part of the trade for reliever Mason Miller, Boston would get a top prospect who went 6-7 with a 3.75 ERA at the Double-A level last season.
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