Questions are swirling about when the Boston Red Sox will finally call up Roman Anthony. The 21-year-old outfielder, who is considered the top prospect in baseball, is tearing it up in Triple-A, hitting .303/.430/.492 with eight home runs, nine doubles, and two triples. An MLB insider believes the Red Sox are waiting to trade one of their All-Stars to make room for Anthony.
During an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast on Monday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, believes the Red Sox are looking to move Jarren Duran before bringing up Anthony.
“It would not surprise me at all if Craig Breslow, the GM of the Red Sox, plans to trade Duran because otherwise, why haven’t you made room for Anthony? It doesn’t make sense,” Bowden said.
Duran, a first-time All-Star in 2024, is slashing .264/.312/.406 with a 100 OPS+ and an MLB-leading six triples. His batting line is down from last year when he finished .285/.342/.492 with a 131 OPS+.
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports that the San Diego Padres are interested in Duran to pair him with All-Star outfielders Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. However, Bowden doesn’t believe the Padres have the prospects to get a deal done with the Red Sox.
“Now the problem with the rumor is that there’s really not a fit between the Padres and the Red Sox,” the former GM explained. “They don’t really have the starting pitcher to trade Boston, their farm system isn’t what it once was. So I don’t know how those two teams would match. So I think it’s unlikely there’s a trade there.”
Adding Duran would fill a hole in left field for the Padres. San Diego’s left fielders rank 29th in baseball in OPS (.532) and last in batting average (.191).
But if Duran doesn’t get moved to the Padres, Breslow and the Red Sox will likely listen to offers for the 2024 All-Star. Duran is making $3.75 million this year and has an $8 million club option for 2026.
