Red Sox Trade Idea Ships Out $3.75 Million All-Star, Calls Up Roman Anthony
The San Diego Padres are looking for a left fielder. And they should be. According to MLB Trade Rumors, "no team in baseball has gotten less from the left field position this season than the Padres, whose left fielders have combined for an unimpressive minus-0.7 bWAR over the team's first 50 games."
Even with the MLB trade deadline more than two months away, the Padres are already exploring deals to upgrade the position — an urgent need if they want to stay in the nail-biting three-team race for the National League West pennant.
The Friars, approximately one-third of the way through the schedule, sit two games in back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one behind the second-place San Francisco Giants.
The Boston Red Sox may be able to meet that need, as well as meet a need of their own.
After calling up their No. 2 prospect — the No. 8 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline's rankings — Marcelo Mayer on Saturday, and starting the season with another top prospect, second baseman Kristian Campbell, already on the big league roster, Boston has one highly ranked prospect remaining at Triple-A Worcester.
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That prospect, 21-year-old Roman Anthony, is not only the top prospect in the Red Sox system, but the overall No. 1 in the game.
Anthony would appear to have nothing left to prove at the minor league level. At Worcester this season, the West Palm Beach, Florida, native boasts a .971 OPS — highest in the International League of any hitter with at least 150 at-bats — and a .321 batting average, also tops that category.
But the Red Sox have yet to find a place for Anthony with all three outfield spots occupied. Trading left fielder Jarren Duran, the MVP of the 2024 All-Star Game, to San Diego would open up that spot for Anthony.
Duran would make an attractive target for the Padres, on an economical $3.75 million one-year contract and under team control through 2028. His contact contains a 2026 club option for $8 million, but if that option is declined, Duran would again be eligible for salary arbitration.
Why would the Red Sox part with Duran? The fact is, he simply is not living up to the standards he set last year, so far. His OPS is down to .762 from .834 last season. He belted 21 home runs in 2024. At his current pace, given the same number of plate appearances (735), he would hit only 12 this year.
Defensively, in his All-Star season, Duran led all centerfielders who played at least 800 innings at the position with 17 defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs. Playing almost exclusively left field this time around, Duran currently has a DRS number of just one.
Duran is again leading the American League in triples (six), but even with some decline, the Red Sox left fielder is still significantly better than any option the Padres currently have at the position.
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At age 28, turning 29 on Sept. 5, Duran is no longer a prospect. His long-term upside would appear to be considerably lower that that of the 21-year-old Anthony. For the Padres, however, he would provide an upgrade immediately as they battle to win their division.
The Red Sox remain in need of a first baseman since the season-ending injury to Triton Casas on May 2. Padres utility man Gavin Sheets, who has 97 major league games at first on his resumé, would make a likely piece of a larger package in return for Duran.
The Padres trade package would also likely include prospects. The Red Sox, in need of big league-ready relief pitching, could take righty fireballer Francis Pena, who currently has 22 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.
Pena continues to struggle with control, but could provide a much-needed fresh arm in waiting for an overtaxed Red Sox bullpen.
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