Jarren Duran is back in the fold after the Red Sox reached an agreement with their first-time All-Star outfielder.
Boston avoided arbitration with the 28-year-old by signing him to what MLB.com reports is a $3.75-million dollar deal for 2025.
But wait, there’s more…
Duran’s deal also includes a heathy $8 million option for the 2026 season. It’s a club option that includes a $100,000 buyout on the option. The deal also includes up to $150,000 in bonuses for the ’25 campaign.
I can’t envision the Sox even thinking about touching that buyout on a player with such a rising stock like Duran, so for all intents and purposes, we’ll be seeing Duran in a Boston uniform for the better part of the next two years.
I say the “better part” because we know that the time to pay him his real money is coming soon enough. Duran has two more seasons of arbitration in 2027 and 2028 before becoming a free agent, but if his career trajectory continues to skyrocket, he’ll almost certainly be putitng the pressure on the team to make a bigger deal happen.
As fun to watch and as talented as the player is, I still have my concerns about his longterm viability in Boston. Not because of his skill set, but because of his propensity for off-field drama and distraction.
If it were a one-time occurance, it would be easier to brush off. But Duran now has multiple instances of running afoul of the team, the league and the fan base. If he keeps his head down and limits the distractions for the next two years, I’d probably be willing to hand him a sizable deal. We’ll have to see how it all plays out…
Deal or no deal?
The reported asking price for star Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has surfaced, and it’s a steep one.
According to The Athletic, Toronto would want a package including “major leaguers and top prospects. And exceed the value the San Diego Padres received from the New York Yankees for Soto.”
That package included right-hander Michael King, as well as Drew Thorpe, Johnny Brito, Randy Vasquez and Kyle Higashioka.
Now, that’s all well and good, but here’s the thing… that’s the asking price right now.
“Right now” is not the time to trade for Vladdy Jr. That time would be around July 31st at the trade deadline. Why? Because if the Jays are willing to deal him then, that means the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.
It also would come at a time when the asking price would never be lower. The Jays would be backed into a corner, needing to trade their top asset or risk losing him for nothing. And there’s just no way they're going to let arguably their best hitter in franchise history walk away and remain empty-handed.
For as bad as the Sox’s Mookie Betts trade was with the Dodgers, at least they didn’t get absolutely nothing for him. Just, you know, next to nothing. At least Connor Wong, a decent major league-caliber catcher, is still here.
Barring a long-term Jays-Vlad marriage, this will be a storyline we’re likely to keep hearing about until the summer… that is, when the Dodgers probably swoop in, trade for Vladdy and give him $800 million deferred until 2125.
Great Scott!
With cobwebs visible on the Red Sox’s Alex Bregman “pursuit,” it’s time we shift our attention to Boston’s latest free agent… “interest.”
That would be All-Star reliever Tanner Scott, who according to MLB Network is reviewing “several multi-year offers” in front of him.
Well, considering that the average annual value figure being thrown around for Scott is north of $20 million… you can effectively rule out John Henry’s Red Sox right now.
If the Sox are hesitating to pay a position player over 30 like Bregman the big money, you think they’re actually going to pay a *pitcher* over 30 a deal that could reach nine figures? Keep dreaming…
Boston’s brass has suggested it remains open to adding to the bullpen — which they should, because they still need bullpen help. But come on, there’s just no way if the asking price is $20 million a pop on mutiple years.
One year? Much more realistic, as they just did with Walker Buehler. But there’s no way Scott is going to settle for one year. This is his shining moment to cash in on a career’s worth of hard work.
Playing in Boston is by no means a bad option or bad destination, but it’s no longer worth even considering taking a paycut for — even a minor one.
Nope. Moving on. Next…
Belles of the spring
As spring training nears, the Sox are making their final invitations to the Fenway South Ball.
This week, Boston added five pitchers as non-roster invitees to their spring roster: Sean Newcomb, Austin Adams, Yovanny Cruz, Noah Davis and Robert Stock.
There’s a smattering of major league experience in that list, but the name that jumps out at you — at least to me — is none other than Newcomb.
We love ourselves a good Mass. native on the Sox, and since Rich Hill probably won’t be pitching for the Sox for the zillionth time this season (although you never really know…), it seems the Sox will have to settle for Newcomb.
In the 31-year-old left-hander from Brockton, the Sox would be getting a former starter-turned-reliever who is trying to salvage a big-league career. With Atlanta, Newcomb put together a couple of decent years — including going 12-9 with a 3.90 ERA and 160 strikeouts across 31 games (and a career-best 30 starts) back in 2018.
After posting a 3.16 ERA mostly in relief across 55 games the following season, the results have not been pretty. Newcomb has pitched to a 6.66 ERA with a 1.693 WHIP in 70 games over five seasons since.
This is squarely a “kicking the tires” kind of move, and the odds say Newcomb probably won’t wind up on the Opening Day roster. But wouldn’t it be fun if he did? A Newcomb redemption arc with his hometown ballclub would be a good story.
Yes, he’s had some negative headlines off the field with the homophobic slurs he Tweeted back in 2011 and 2012. There’s no defending that, although he has since apologized to fans and teammates, and that story has been behind him for several years now.
But it certainly wouldn’t be any potential character issues that would keep Newcomb off the team.
This team does now employ Aroldis Chapman, after all…