The Boston Red Sox could be active at the trade deadline regardless of their record. They have a surplus of outfielders and may look to move one of them this summer.
After calling up Roman Anthony, the Red Sox have him, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu all competing for three outfield spots. Duran is the oldest and has the least club control, making him a trade candidate. Teams are already showing interest in Duran, and trading him could be a reality, whether or not the Red Sox are contenders when the July 31 trade deadline rolls around.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported that the Red Sox will try and trade one of their outfielders at the deadline. If they are sellers, trading Duran might yield the best return for their future.
"The Red Sox will try to deal one of their outfielders for starting pitching help and an upgrade at first base," wrote Bowden of the Red Sox's trade deadline plans.
If Duran is traded while the Red Sox are out of contention, they may want to try and shift their focus to finding a catcher as they will get Triston Casas back next year, making first base less of a priority. FanSided's Brian Burrows suggested they could trade Duran in a deal to land Dalton Rushing from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is the No. 15 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
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"Trading for a prospect means Boston is selling, and if it goes that way, getting another excellent catcher to replace Connor Wong is not a bad idea," wrote Burrows. "Rushing is a lefty and could easily split time with Carlos Narváez, and make some spot starts in left field to give someone a day off. He would create one of the most exciting catching tandems in all of baseball."
"A move for Rushing likely would be in a deal for Duran," Burrows continued. "If Boston is selling, it's more likely to get rid of the guy who is closest to free agency. The Dodgers could use an outfielder, as the Michael Conforto experiment hasn't gone well. Duran could easily fill left field for them and be an explosive bat in their lineup. Trading him away would open left field for Anthony, the position the Sox were playing him the most in the minors."
Duran was an All-Star last season and led baseball in doubles and triples. He also hit 21 home runs. He is slashing .271/.325/.428 this year and would help the Dodgers replace Conforto. Meanwhile, Rushing does not have a path to being an everyday catcher with the Dodgers thanks to Will Smith.
Rushing is hitting just .194, but has limited opportunities in Los Angeles. He could get more big league at-bats with the Red Sox and turn into a key player for their future.
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