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LOS ANGELES — The Red Sox seem to be at something of a crossroads with Jarren Duran.
There’s the downturn in his performance, which is ominous enough. Two years ago, Duran seemed on the verge of superstardom. He was selected as the MVP of the All-Star Game while compiling a 9.0 WAR season. His future seemed limitless.
But ever since, things have been trending in the wrong direction. His play in 2025 represented a step backward, though he was still an above-average performer. This year has seen a more dramatic drop-off, with a WAR of 0.3 heading into the weekend. His OPS was a minuscule .595 and he’s struggled to bat over .200 for much of the season.
Then there’s the behavior: the frequent run-ins with fans in the stands; the very public displeasure with teammates earlier this week in Sacramento; the sometimes churlish off-field behavior.
Add it all up, and it’s worth asking what Duran’s future looks like with the Red Sox. It’s quite noteworthy that while the Red Sox aggressively looked to lock up a number of their younger players (Roman Anthony, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kristian Campbell), they never once approached Duran and his representative with an extension offer. Their unwillingness to commit to him speaks volumes.
Days before the trade deadline, the Red Sox are in the market for a bat, and one option would be to find a righthanded hitter to platoon with Duran in left. That hardly can be seen as a vote of confidence. As bad as Duran has been overall at the plate, he’s even worse against lefties, with five extra-base hits in 100 at-bats before Saturday.
The logical thing to do might be to include Duran in a deadline deal for a more useful bat. But Duran’s value has sunk to an all-time low and the return would be minimal. Plus, with no guarantee that Roman Anthony will play again this season, what are the in-house alternatives in left field in a season that now looks headed for October: Turning Jahmai Jones into an everyday player? Converting the defensively challenged Masataka Yoshida to a full-time outfielder?
It’s impossible to ignore the downward trajectory his career has taken, and just as difficult to look away from the controversy that seems to follow him. Duran is not without his skills, and when things are going well, his blend of athleticism, speed and power can be a joy to watch.
But those skills seem to have ebbed, or at least show themselves far less frequently. The backward slide can’t be ignored. And then there are all the...issues.
In short, the relationship between Red Sox and Duran looks like it’s come to an end. Problem is, neither party is sure how to handle the final step.
∗ A week into training camp was a little early to panic when it came to evaluating the Drake Maye-A.J. Brown connection. Maye almost won the MVP last year and Brown is one of the handful of best receivers in the game. Chances were always good they’d figure it out.
∗ So Kyle Shanahan wasn’t charged for a car accident for which he was responsible. Who knew? I thought those things only happened to college football coaches.
∗ Did we really need to introduce the term ‘hold-in’ to our sports lexicon? Doubtful. Here’s the issue: “Hold-in” sounds like it’s exact opposite of holdout, but it’s not. It’s just a lazy version of a holdout.
∗ I understand the trust people have in Brad Stevens. He proved himself to be very a good coach and an even better executive. But as Celtics fans contort themselves into believing that maybe the Jaylen Brown trade is going to work out after all, it’s worth noting that Stevens can lay claim to exactly one title during his Celtics tenure.
Excellent is different from infallible.
∗ The Brayan Bello Redemption Story is a nice development. In June, Bello seemed to almost dare the Red Sox to option him to the minors, and the Sox soon took him up on his offer.
But credit to Bello for eventually accepting the demotion and working to improve. He’s since returned and handled the difficult task of being a long reliever better than anyone could have expected. Now if the Sox can just be convinced that he can handle starting again.
∗ Dodger Stadium remains one of baseball’s crown jewels. But the between-pitch assault on the senses that takes place needlessly degrades the ballpark experience for everyone. Sound effects, chants, non-stop music — it’s all too much. Worse, it’s contagious. When the Yankees lost the World Series to LA in 2024, they told their management that they would like the same noise pumped into their ballpark for the additional energy.
∗ Tony Romo hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, but he’s certainly done irreparable damage to both his reputation and his career. At the very least, CBS has to be wondering whether this isn’t a convenient way to get out from under their annual $17 million obligation to him.
∗ Why does it seem as though New York and Cam Skattebo are a bad match?
∗ We’re about to see how well Gianni Infantino can back pedal, now that his plans to sell off parts of FIFA have blown up in his face. No athletic governing body - with the possible exception of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — has been so darkened by greed and scandal as FIFA.
∗ After Robert Kraft crowed about offering Christian Gonzalez the biggest contract in franchise history, it dawned on me: Can there be a happy medium to be had between one owner who doesn’t talk at all (John Henry) and the one who talks too much?
More Red Sox coverage
- Red Sox await trade deadline with anticipation, uncertainty; ‘We’ll figure it out as we go’
- Are Red Sox’ two star rookie starters actually related? Payton Tolle explains
- Red Sox have top slugger back in lineup Sunday as they try to sweep Dodgers in L.A.
- Red Sox’ Ceddanne Rafaela, usually a defense-first player, caps ‘otherworldly’ week with two more homers
- As Red Sox try to trade for a shortstop, ‘outstanding’ fill-in at the position making a case to stay
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