After exceeding expectations in the 2025 campaign, the Boston Red Sox are staring down the barrel at a very important offseason. The front office has several important decisions to make, with one of them involving outfielder Jarren Duran.
In 2024, Duran enjoyed a breakout campaign that saw him earn the first All-Star selection of his career. And yet, while he was solid in 2025, he didn’t come particularly close to reaching those heights. Duran’s season ended with a whimper, as he struggled in the Red Sox’s three-game wild-card series against the New York Yankees.
With Boston having a club option in Duran’s contract, questions about his future have been popping up as of late. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, though, the option in Duran’s deal isn’t particularly important, because even if it gets declined, the star outfielder is still under team control.
“It doesn’t really mean much,” Cotillo said on “Fenway Rundown.” “He is going to be on the roster. Again, he will be on the roster … He’s not gonna be a free agent. He’s not getting non-tendered. So there’s that.”
If the Sox pick up Duran’s option, he would make $8 million next season. If it gets declined, though, the two sides would head to arbitration, where initial projections indicate that Duran would likely earn a similar amount of money.
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Duran is under team control through the 2028 campaign, as he still has two more years of arbitration in his future. So while Boston does have to make a decision on Duran’s contract, it’s not a matter of whether or not he’s going to be with the team, but simply how much money he’s going to be making next season.