Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has done the bulk of his work via the MLB trade market this offseason. And with the heavy hitters of free agency mostly off the board, headlined by Kyle Schwarber staying in Philly and Pete Alonso’s surprise move to Baltimore, it looks like that’s going to remain his best and perhaps only legitimate pathway to building the best version of the 2026 Red Sox.

The Kansas City Royals are open to adding another outfielder – most notably Jarren Duran, if the Boston Red Sox lower their asking price,” Rosenthal wrote Monday. “The Royals are under the impression Duran would cost them left-hander Cole Ragans, though the Red Sox view the initial talks as more informal and exploratory, according to people briefed on the conversations.”

In what was an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, Ragans posted a 3-3 record and 4.67 ERA over 13 starts, and fanned 98 batters over 61.2 innings of work. Prior to that, though, Ragans was one of the best pitchers in the American League on the way to an All-Star nod and fourth-place finish in Cy Young voting in 2024.

Ragans also possesses a downright nasty pitch arsenal headlined by an effective fastball, as well as strong support from its slider and changeup, and with some notable success with a knuckle curve in 2024.

Naturally, the Royals seem to know what they have in Ragans, and view him as a “potential Game 1 starter” kind of pitcher, according to Rosenthal. Needless to say, such a talent would likely require more than just Duran going the other way.

And the Red Sox, already with a loaded rotation, seemingly have prospects to spare to bring in another high-impact player. But with an offseason that’s already been centered around fortifying the rotation — the club has already brought in starters Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo — perhaps it’s in the best interest of the franchise to focus on using their potential trade chips to bring in a big bat. (That’s where someone like Arizona’s Ketel Marte comes into the picture for Boston.)

Ragans is also under team control at an extremely affordable salary through the 2027 season, and if that isn’t enough, he’s also arbitration-eligible in 2028.

Duran, meanwhile, may have interest beyond just Kansas City, which could allow Breslow & Co. to dig their heels into the dirt in pursuit of the best deal. The Padres have been downright thirsty for Duran over multiple offseasons, it feels like.

In action for 157 games this past season, Duran hit .256 with a .332 on-base percentage and .774 OPS, and totaled 16 home runs and 84 RBIs. His 84 RBIs were a career-high, though he also struck out a career-high 169 times. 

Either way, Boston does feel destined to make a trade involving their crowded outfield before the end of the offseason, especially with second-half standout Roman Anthony expected to be a focal point and full-time MLBer in 2026.