Boston Red Sox fifth-year outfielder Jarren Duran has been easily the most talked-about possible trade candidate on the team this offseason, and according to WEEI.com reporter Rob Bradford, as of Tuesday, “it feels like interest in Jarren Duran is heating up from multiple teams.”
A trade of Duran seems inevitable, though of course the Red Sox have not made any such move with the 29-year-old, who has stolen 82 bases in the most recent three seasons. Nonetheless, the question remaining may be only what Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wants in return for the 2024 All-Star Game MVP.
On Tuesday, MLB analyst Jordan Leandre of Just Baseball proposed a trade package that would not only ship out Duran, along with a pitching prospect and a utility infielder, but get a catcher in return who was ranked as the No. 39 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline this year — the No. 1 prospect in the Kansas City Royals system.
Left-handed hitting backstop Carter Jensen was a September call-up for the Royals and proceeded to hit safely in 18 of 60 at-bats for a .300 batting average. With three home runs, six doubles and nine walks, Jensen put together an impressive .941 OPS.
In 153 at-bats for the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, Jensen boasted an OPS of 1.051 with 14 home runs.
“Looking at 2027 and beyond, Jensen could be in the running for best catcher in the AL,” wrote Leandre. Just Baseball, in its own ranking of the top 100 prospects of 2025, placed the 22-year-old Jensen — a native of Kansas City — at No. 14.
More MLB: Red Sox Tabbed to Nab $6 Million Ace for Jarren Duran in 3-Team Blockbuster
But Jensen would not be the only return for the Red Sox, according to Leandre’s proposal. Left-handed starter Kris Bubic — who posted a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts this season before his campaign was cut short by a rotator cuff strain — is also included in the package.
Bubic was cleared to resume throwing in early November.
Along with Duran, the Red Sox send the Royals a left-handed hurler of their own, Kyle Harrison, who was acquired in the June trade that sent three-time All-Star Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Backup infielder David Hamilton rounds out the Red Sox trade offering.
In a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic published Monday, the longtime baseball insider stated that the Royals continue to covet Duran. But they believe that the Red Sox are seeking a different lefty starter, Cole Ragans, who Kansas City does not want to let go.
More MLB: Red Sox Acquire 6-Foot-6, 234-Pound Oklahoma Lefty for Starting Rotation