Jarren Duran, Padres rumors picking up steam

"The Padres could enhance their chances of a playoff run by acquiring Jarren Duran from the Red Sox, making them a team to watch for punters looking at betting odds on NL playoff outcomes."

The San Diego Padres will be in the market for outfield help at the trade deadline. At 50-43, just outside the NL playoff picture, the team could use an extra boost to make a push towards October.

A name that continues to be mentioned as a fit for the Padres is Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. ESPN’s Jeff Passan connected the 28-year-old to San Diego. “No player and team have been linked as strongly as Duran and the Padres,” Passan said. “And that's without any knowledge of how the Red Sox intend to handle the deadline.”

“Left field in San Diego is among the biggest voids in the game. The Padres have tried eight players in left this season, and collectively they're barely have an OPS of over .600,” Passan added. “A Duran-Jackson Merrill-Fernando Tatis Jr. outfield would be a factory of dynamism that would be under team control through the end of the 2028 season.”

Duran broke out last season, making the AL All-Star team and hitting .285 with 21 home runs and a .834 OPS. This season hasn’t been quite the same, but still productive, hitting .260 with 8 home runs and a .752 OPS while also leading the AL in triples (10).

The Red Sox have already shown that they are not afraid to trade away star players, evidenced by the team trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. At 50-45, currently holding the AL’s third Wild Card spot, how the team performs over the next couple of weeks could dictate how they attack the trade deadline. If they continue to slip, stars such as Duran could be on the move.

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