Trading Jarren Duran isn’t an inevitability for the Boston Red Sox this offseason, but it’s definitely a very strong possibility.

The 29-year-old outfielder is coming off a season that was just very good, not the All-Star, eighth-place Most Valuable Player campaign he had in 2024. He’s got three more years of control, so it’s not exactly urgent to move on from him, but there won’t be a better time to do it if the Red Sox believe there’s value he can net them for other parts of the roster.

What we’re really getting at here is that the Red Sox shouldn’t trade Duran just for the sake of clearing up the outfield logjam. There has to be a real benefit to Boston in other areas, and one of the most recent trade ideas from a major outlet involving Duran misses the mark spectacularly.

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Jarren Duran for Alec Bohm? Heavens, no

On Wednesday, Eric Karabell of ESPN proposed that the Red Sox could ship Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies for a package built around third baseman Alec Bohm, a player the Red Sox shouldn’t want anything to do with at this juncture.

“These lightning-rod players certainly are not coming off their best seasons and perhaps each needs the proverbial change of scenery,” wrote Karabell. “The Red Sox may need someone to play third base, and Bohm, while no match for Alex Bregman, is a capable hitter and defender.

“The Phillies could then get a more consistent third baseman who enjoys playing in Philadelphia. Duran would fill Philadelphia’s center-field need, and it would create some opportunity in a crowded Boston outfield. See, trades can work out for both teams!”

The Red Sox are past needing someone “capable.” They need star power, and Bohm, though he was an All-Star in the same season as Duran, is at best a league-average player these days. Plus, he’s only under control for one more year.

This isn’t the centerpiece of a package for Duran, this is merely a throw-in. Call Duran’s season disappointing all you want, Mr. Karabell, but he still put up over three times the wins above replacement (4.7) that Bohm had (1.5).

To top it off, Boston would probably be better served letting Marcelo Mayer take his rookie lumps at third base rather than bringing in a mediocre one-year rental.

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