Guardians predicted to be involved in trade talks for former All-Star MVP outfielder

In 2024, the entire baseball world got to see Jarren Duran at the height of his powers in the All-Star game. 

After starting his major league career with three up-and-down seasons, Duran put everything together in 2024 to earn his first career All-Star nod. He ended up going 1-for-2 in the Midsummer Classic, with his lone hit being a go-ahead two-run home run.

But that doesn’t mean that the Red Sox view him as a part of their long-term core. After having his name surface throughout trade rumors during the 2025 season, Duran was included in a recent story from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden highlighting MLB stars who could be traded (subscription required). 

Bowden also mentioned the Guardians as a team that would be interested in Duran, which is an encouraging update given how bad the Guardians’ outfield was in 2025. 

Jarren Duran would be an obvious fit for the Guardians 

While it’s a bit surprising to see a player like Duran available in trade talks, the Red Sox have an abundance of young, controllable outfielders in the form of Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony. 

Abreu put together a solid 2025 season after winning a Gold Glove in 2024, Rafaela was a breakout star in 2025 and Roman Anthony signed an eight-year contract midway through the 2025. 

Meanwhile, Duran isn’t on a long-term extension. That’s the biggest reason why, according to Bowden, “Duran’s name keeps coming up in trade rumors and it now sounds like the Red Sox will move on from him this winter.”

Even if he's the odd man out in Boston, he’d be a welcomed addition in Cleveland’s outfield. The Guardians used Ángel Martínez in center field despite him grading out as one of baseball’s worst defenders at the position along with cycling through a lot of underwhelming options in right field. 

Although Duran wasn’t an All-Star in 2025, he slashed .256/.332/.442 with 16 home runs, 84 RBI and an AL-leading 13 triples. He was worth -4 Outs Above Average in the field, but most of that stemmed from his struggles in left field. 

If the Guardians were to acquire him in a trade, he’d immediately become the top option in center field. 

Along with the Guardians, Bowden writes that the Phillies, Dodgers, Tigers and Rangers are also interested in Duran’s services, though it remains to be seen if those teams have enough prospect capital to get Duran. 

Luckily for the Guardians, they have plenty of pitching capital, which is exactly what Boston needs. As mentioned above, they’re set in the outfield and have a variety of quality infielders, but their rotation has some question marks behind Garrett Crochet. 

While it would be tough for the Guardians to trade away promising young pitchers like Joey Cantillo or Parker Messick, it would be worth it if it allowed them to immediately upgrade their outfield with Duran, who is under team control until 2028. 

It’s clear the Guardians need to upgrade their outfield this winter, and trading for Duran would be one of the easiest ways to do so.