Will the Boston Red Sox actually trade Jarren Duran? That question has loomed large in the northeast for months upon months now. Certainly, he may be gone amid monetary demands that will come sooner or later. If another team comes calling with a favorable price tag, the deal can very well get done midseason. In this display of supply and demand, we project one scenario in which Duran heads to the Seattle Mariners.
Fantasy Baseball Impact
The Mariners gain much flexibility in the addition of Duran. He will slide in to play DH, as he does in Boston, but he very well can play in the outfield should the team ask of him. However, this is a fantasy baseball analysis, and fielding matters little.
Duran will have volatile positioning in this Mariners lineup. He can bat as solid as 4th in the lineup, replacing Josh Naylor. Duran can also slide down to the 6 or 7 slot, in which Dominic Canzone will leave open. In turn, Duran loses upside in terms of RBI’s and runs scored. If you own Duran in dynasty formats, you should hope that this deal does not go through.
Mock Trade Details
Mariners Get:
Red Sox Get:
Why the Mariners Accept the Trade
The Mariners are striving for another World Series appearance, and with their current roster, they are fully capable. For a team in such a position, they will go for gold by rounding out their rotation to become among the best in the MLB. As the Red Sox have Duran up for potential sale, the Mariners are willing to pay the price to now dominate their rotation 1-7.
Not only do the Mariners gun for Duran, but they also have a surplus of pitching that the Red Sox can use. Boston has great pitching up top, but they find volatility down to the five spot with Brayan Bello. The Mariners are due to get back Bryce Miller soon, but all he can do is fight for the 5th spot in the rotation. Instead, the Mariners can now use him to flip a deal for Duran.
Why the Red Sox Accept the Trade
The Red Sox will look to reduce risk via Duran past 2026, and supplement his loss by boosting the team elsewhere. The boosy comes via Miller, thus adding depth to their rotation, which is playoff-dominant at the top. The Red Sox are an AL East contender, and they can never have enough depth at pitching.
In turn, the Red Sox will also supplement Duran with Canzone, who plays outfield and DH, the same as Duran. Canzone is a +0.8 WAR player, which is 0.5 better than any bench player, including Mastaka Yoshida, who will help supplement this loss of Duran as a high-upside addition.
As stated above, the team can really use pitching depth. Miller may surpass Bello for SP5 in this rotation, but even if not, he will be of value given the IL stints of Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford. Payton Tolle is also not yet due to start as their top pitching prospect. Good teams have a great starting roster; great teams have depth.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Jarren Duran Buys a New Home in this Potential Fantasy Baseball Affected MLB Trade.
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