The Boston Red Sox’ outfield logjam is the elephant in the room with the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaching.
Even if they’re technically buyers ahead of the deadline, the Red Sox are expected to part ways with at least one member of their crowded outfield. The emergence of top prospect Roman Anthony has resulted in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu being mentioned in trade rumors as Boston prioritizes pitching help.
Duran has been linked to the San Diego Padres since early June, when The Athletic reported the 2024 All-Star Game MVP was on their list of trade targets. Their interest comes as little surprise given their glaring weakness in left field.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan listed the Padres as one of Duran’s “best fits” last month, and he doubled down on that assertion Thursday by naming him as the “best match” for San Diego.
“No player and team have been linked as strongly as Duran and the Padres — and that’s without any knowledge of how the Red Sox intend to handle the deadline,” Passan wrote. “Roman Anthony’s emergence has put Boston in a position to float Duran and Wilyer Abreu in trade discussions, and whether it’s now or over the winter, Boston wants to use its surplus of bats to fill voids elsewhere.
“Left field in San Diego is among the biggest voids in the game. The Padres have tried eight players in left this season, and collectively they’re barely have an OPS of over .600. A Duran-Jackson Merrill-Fernando Tatis Jr. outfield would be a factory of dynamism that would be under team control through the end of the 2028 season.
“The Padres might need to get creative — beyond shortstop Leo De Vries (who’s believed to be off-limits) and catcher Ethan Salas, their farm system is middling — but nobody does creativity like GM A.J. Preller. And whether that means facilitating a deal through a third team or including one of their high-leverage relievers such as closer Robert Suárez, San Diego is willing to go places most other organizations would never consider.”
The Red Sox’ primary outfield currently consists of Duran in left, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and Abreu in right. Anthony has spent 19 games in right and nine as the designated hitter, though his recent switch to left field suggests Boston is preparing to make it his primary position.
Theoretically, the Red Sox could take advantage of Rafaela’s versatility and move him to second base, with Duran sliding to center and Anthony sticking in left. But Rafaela is arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game, and moving him to second would give top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer no clear path to consistent playing time when third baseman Alex Bregman returns from injury.
It’s a complicated situation for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, but he told WEEI on Thursday that trading one of his outfielders isn’t a necessity.
“It’s something that you would have to consider if there was an opportunity to improve the team elsewhere,” Breslow said on The Greg Hill Show. “But I think it’s really important to point out that we don’t have to trade one of the outfielders simply because we have more guys that are capable of contributing than can start every night.”
Duran is slashing .262/.318/.438 with an MLB-leading 10 triples, eight homers, and 50 RBI in 93 games. He has caught fire in July, posting a 1.154 OPS with 11 RBI in eight games.
Riding a six-game win streak, the Red Sox will wrap up their first half with a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.
