Jarren Duran, Red Sox agree on 2026 contract
The Red Sox hammered out one deal for the 2026 season on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 05: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park on July 5, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesWhile everybody else figures out their next step, the Red Sox and Jarren Duran found some certainty and came to terms on a new deal Tuesday.
Duran's new deal with Boston is a one-year deal for the 2026 season, and will come with a $7.7 million price tag, according to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. The deal will also be worth another $75,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances. It also comes after the team had an $8 million team option on Duran for 2026, which gave Duran an additional $100,000 buyout once declined in favor of the new, one-year agreement.
In action for 157 games this past season, Duran hit .256 with a .332 on-base percentage and .774 OPS, and totaled 16 home runs and 84 RBIs. His 84 RBIs were a career-high, though he also struck out a career-high 169 times.
Duran also had a wild card round to forget, going just 1-for-11 in Boston's three-game playoff series against the Yankees to close out the year.
With a new deal in hand, the 29-year-old Duran could be set up for another season in Boston, where he'll continue to serve as an emotional leader and be paired up with Boston's two Gold Glove outfielders and Roman Anthony. Or this could be the precursor to a trade that finds Duran on the outs in Boston.
Trade rumors have followed Duran for pretty much his entire tenure with the Red Sox, and may have very well hit a fever pitch in 2025. The talk around baseball for over a year now has been that the Padres are extremely hot for Duran, and would love to bring him into the fold. Those rumors, for what it's worth, have not slowed down at all. And there's even more teams with an interest in Duran, according to the latest round of rumors.
“Duran’s name keeps coming up in trade rumors and it now sounds like the Red Sox will move on from him this winter," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote last month. “Teams such as the Phillies, Dodgers, Tigers, Guardians and Rangers would love to land him. He’s also controllable through the 2028 season, so it would take a huge haul for the Red Sox to move him.”
This is nothing new, and we've heard this all before. From the teams interested to Boston's high price, and Duran's value as a controllable asset.
But at least now there's a contract officially on the books. For the Red Sox,. or for whoever is out there and ready to finally close the deal on a trade for him.
