Getty

Since firing Alex Cora, the Red Sox haven’t been any better, which could lead to a certain outfielder being on the trade block.

The Boston Red Sox don’t seem to have fixed any of their issues since firing manager Alex Cora and replacing him with Chad Tracy. They are already essentially buried in the American League East sitting 12 games back and in last place.

They are just four games out in the wild card race, but are nine games under the .500 mark at 23-32, and they don’t appear to be coming out of their slump anytime soon. So, that could lead to them taking a different approach this year at the trade deadline. They were buyers last season, but seem to be headed towards subtracting rather than adding.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed several players who could be on the trading block, and one of them was outfielder Jarren Duran, who has been in trade rumors recently.

“The Red Sox have continued to flounder in last place in the AL East, maybe, sort of, kind of trending toward selling at the trade deadline,” Miller wrote.

“With this particular regular in trade block conversations, though, Duran could be on the move regardless of whether Boston is buying or selling—provided Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela are all healthy heading into the deadline and the Red Sox are willing to trade from their outfield surplus.”

Jarren Duran Named Trade Chip

The Red Sox not only have a lot of outfielders, but also left-handed bats. Duran is obviously one of those, and trading him could certainly clear out the logjam and get them some good prospects in return as long as he stays hot.

He is hitting .213/.281/.391 on the season, but is performing well in the month of May. He now has eight home runs and 27 RBI and has stolen 10 bases thus far, so there is hope that he is turning things around. That could ultimately lead to his value skyrocketing and allow the Red Sox to get a good return package for him.

The 29-year-old former All-Star is not a free agent until 2029, so a team would be acquiring three additional years of club control if it chose to pursue him. He has been the subject of trade rumors as recently as this past offseason, but now that the Red Sox are starting to fall out of contention, trading Duran is starting to make more sense, and it could allow them to shore up other areas of the roster, as well as the farm system.

Red Sox Sale Depends on AL Outlook

Ultimately, what the Red Sox do at the trade deadline depends on the outlook of the American League, which right now is relatively weak. Despite having scored the fewest runs in the American League, Boston is far from out of the race.

If they start to play better, then perhaps they won’t sell and will ultimately keep Duran on their roster for the rest of the season. The AL is wide open, and even the Red Sox could grab some momentum and find themselves right back in the race before long.

Curt Bishop Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who has written for various outlets including Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, FanSided, The Sporting News, Newsweek and Yardbarker. His work entails mostly breaking and trending news with a concentration on Major League Baseball (MLB). Curt graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus on emerging and new media, as well as a music minor. More about Curt Bishop