It is that time of the year again as the Boston Red Sox are once again rumored to be looking to trade outfielder Jarren Duran. However, this time around, Boston is reportedly willing to lower their asking price, per USA Today’s Bob Nightingale.

Duran's market value has declined considerably following a disappointing 2026 campaign in which he hit .207/.266/.361 over 151 games, finishing as the second-worst qualifying hitter in baseball. The 30-year-old is projected to earn approximately $11.1 million through salary arbitration.

Boston view Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu as the preferred long-term starting combination, leaving Duran on the sideline. The Red Sox simply do not want to pay $11.1 million for a player who is likely to be their fourth outfielder and the 30-year-old is effectively ‘as good as gone.’

Duran is therefore likely to be traded just two years after he earned All-Star recognition and finished eight in American League MVP voting, back in 2024. Boston reportedly sought a frontline starting pitcher in earlier attempts to package Duran, but that asking price failed to generate takers.

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The Red Sox now face three primary options: tender him a contract and trade him, tender him and retain him, or non-tender him and receive nothing in return. Keeping Duran would mean accepting an arbitration salary projected to rise from approximately $7.7 million in 2026 to $11.1 million in 2027, while trading him would likely require Boston to accept a considerably smaller return.

Teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers have all been linked to the outfielder's signature in recent months. Still, it remains to be seen where Duran ends up, and what kind of return the Red Sox can get considering the recent decline.