Reds' trade package for Red Sox star Jarren Duran may come with painful cost

How aggressive will the Cincinnati Reds be at this year's MLB trade deadline? That's the million-dollar question that Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall will have to answer in the coming weeks. If Cincinnati is prepared to roll the dice and pull off a blockbuster deal ahead of July 31, Jarren Duran should be on Krall's shortlist.

Duran, 28, is an All-Star caliber player who's under team-control for several more seasons. This season, the Boston Red Sox outfielder is hitting .258/.318/.431 with eight home runs, 50 RBI, 16 stolen bases, and a 107 OPS+.

Though he can play center field, Duran has been the Red Sox left fielder this season while Ceddane Rafaela has occupied the middle of Boston's outfield. The presence of Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Roman Anthony makes Duran expendable, but the Red Sox aren't just going to give him away. What would it take for the Reds to pry Duran away from Boston?

Reds' trade package for Red Sox star Jarren Duran would likely cost a frontline starter like Nick Lodolo

The Red Sox are desperate for starting pitching; something the Reds have plenty of. Assuming All-Star lefty Andrew Abbott and rookie fireballer Chase Burns are off limits in trade negotiations, that thrusts the likes of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Petty into the conversation.

Greene and Lowder are currently on the IL and Petty has been unreliable since making his big league debut earlier this season. In other words, if the Reds were to seriously consider trading for Duran, the package would likely have to be built around Lodolo.

The Reds lefty has had difficulty staying healthy in years past, but in 2025, Lodolo has been incredibly durable. After Friday's outing against the New York Mets, Lodolo is less than two innings away from setting a new career-high in innings pitched and owns a spectacular 3.33 ERA with a team-high 20 starts. Lodolo has gone six or more innings in 12 starts this season.

This is the type of dilemma Cincinnati would face if Duran is on their wishlist. There are other outfielders who'll be available at the MLB trade deadline, but Duran may well be the biggest name set to move before July 31. Would the Reds be willing to give up on one of their top starters — who still has two years of team control remaining — in order to secure that outfield bat that they sorely need? That'll be the cost of doing business with Boston at the deadline.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors