In a sluggish 2024 season that ended in an unsatisfying 81-81 record and a third straight year of no postseason play, the Boston Red Sox had one big feel-good story nonetheless. That was the story of Jarren Duran.
A seventh-round draft pick out of Cal State Long Beach in 2018, Duran struggled through his first two big league seasons in Boston — at the same time being public about discussing his mental health journey as he battled depression and self-doubt.
But in 2024, at age 27, Duran blossomed. He led the American League in both doubles (48) and triples (14), put together a solid .834 OPS while stealing 34 bases. In one sparkling high point of the season, Duran was not only named an AL All-Star, he belted a game-deciding home run and won the Midsummer Classic’s MVP award.
In the offseason, though Duran was eligible for salary arbitration, the Red Sox offered him, and Duran signed, a one-year, $3.75 million contract with a club option for a second year at $8 million — a total of $11.75 million.
Duran’s Defense May End His Tenure in Boston
That amount kicks in, however, only if the Red Sox exercise their option. In 2025 Duran has been inconsistent. His OPS so far in 2025 stands at only .730. At the same time, Duran’s six triples lead the Majors, tied with Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to Red Sox analyst Alex Mayes of the TalkSox site, however, it may be Duran’s defense that forces Boston to cut ties with the Corona, California, native.
By parting ways with Duran, the Red Sox would create an open spot in the outfield that could be immediately filled by the No. 1 overall prospect not only in the Red Sox system, but in all of baseball, according to the MLB Pipeline rankings, Roman Anthony.
“Last year, Duran was an All-Star left fielder because of his range of contributions on both sides of the ball,” Mayes wrote for TalkSox on Monday. “This year, though, his defense has taken a significant step backwards. He leads all Boston outfielders with three errors, his range has taken a significant nosedive, and his arm value (via Baseball Savant) went from a scorching-hot 86th percentile to an ice-cold 25th.”
Nothing Left to Prove at Triple-A for Top Prospect
At the same time, the 21-year-old Anthony appears to have nothing important left to prove at the Triple-A level, where he has spent the 2025 season so far.
“Difficult at this point to justify Roman Anthony still being in Triple-A,” wrote Red Sox beat reporter Christopher Smith of MassLive on Tuesday. “He’s batting .322 with a .970 OPS.”
In 191 plate appearances for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, Anthony has belted six home runs, eight doubles and a pair of triple. The 2022 second-round pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has perhaps most impressively drawn 37 walks, getting him to a .450 on base percentage.
While Anthony is not known as a “plus” defender in the outfield — where he typically plays left field, Duran’s current position — Duran has struggled badly in 2025, according to the TalkSox analysis.
“On top of leading all outfielders in errors, Duran also has the lowest outs above average of all the outfielders at negative two,” Mayes wrote. “His expected catch percentage is sitting at 88 percent, but his actual catch percentage is two percent lower at 86 percent. The last time he had a lower actual catch percentage than his expected percentage was 2022, the lowest point of his career.”
Mayes added that, “I’ll stand by my take that I think Duran needs to be traded. Even with a down year, he will bring in a bigger haul than anyone not named Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer.”
If the Red Sox do not cut ties with Duran in a trade, he is likely to “be relegated to being a bench piece when Roman Anthony finally gets the call up to the major league team,” Mayes wrote.
