Speculation has begun to swirl around Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall as a potential trade chip for the club this summer. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes that rival executives think that Boston is play Duvall virtually every day despite the success of Jarren Duran in center field earlier this season in hopes that the 34-year-old slugger will catch fire and become a tradable asset ahead of the deadline on August 1. Meanwhile, MassLive’s Sean McAdam echoes the sentiment that Chaim Bloom’s front office could look to move Duvall, noting that starting pitching, left-handed relief, and middle infield help are among the weaknesses the Red Sox could look to patch up in return for Duvall’s services.
Duvall got off to one of the hottest starts to open the season across the league, slashing an incredible .455/.514/1.030 in eight games for the Red Sox prior to being sidelined with a fractured left wrist. He returned to action earlier this month, but has struggled in 13 games since returning from the IL with a slash line of just .146/.255/.268 in that time. Of course, both Duvall’s performance before and after the injury are incredibly small sample sizes, and the slugger has less than 100 plate appearances total on the season, meaning there’s still plenty of time for his numbers to stabilize one way or another as Boston weighs its options regarding their veteran outfielder.
More from around the AL East…
- Rays fans can breathe a sigh of relief regarding ace Shane McClanahan today, as Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times notes that the young lefty woke up “in a good spot” Friday morning after exiting Thursday’s start with mid-back tightness. Still, Ackert notes that the club is exercising caution with its prized left-hander, and considering utilizing Monday’s off-day to push his next start back until next weekend against the Mariners in Seattle. Ackert adds that McClanahan was not sent for imaging and has continued his usual routine between starts. That McClanahan seems to be healthy is great news for the Rays, as the 26-year-old lefty has put himself squarely in the midst of the AL Cy Young award discussion with an MLB-leading 2.23 ERA in 93 innings of work this season.
- Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens was scratched from his planned rehab appearance at Triple-A tomorrow, as noted by Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun. Instead, Givens is set to return to Baltimore for an evaluation. Further details about the evaluation are limited, though it certainly seems to be an ominous sign for the right-hander, who’s been on the shelf with shoulder inflammation since the beginning of the month and had the start to his 2023 campaign delayed by knee inflammation. While Givens has been limited to just four innings of work by those injuries, the Orioles bullpen has nonetheless excelled thanks to the emergence of Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano as perhaps the best relief duo in baseball this season. [UPDATE: Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that Givens has some soreness in his throwing shoulder but there is a relatively “low level” of concern about a serious setback.]
I hope we do trade Duvall so Duran can play everyday
Who’s trading anything of value for Duvall? Corner OF with defensive question marks aren’t highly sought after. Guys like him hold very little value. You’re only getting someone from a team they’re about to release or demote anyway.
Elite CF
Not according to every defensive metric, he isn’t.
But this where I get told people watching baseball on TV have a better read on such things than the very precise statcast data.
Duvall has 27 Outs Above Average for his career. —- That metric.
You must be basing his entire defensive profile on 20 games with the Red Sox. Self-proclaimed stat guy, did you skip the class on ‘sample size’?
@mule
Are you stoned, or just a idiot?
How about we take the entirety of 2022 as a metric rsmith?
2022 – DRS: -3; UZR/150: -5.5; RngR: -0.9
2023 – DRS: -5; UZR/150: -42.8; RngR: -1.8
You’ve got to remember, Duvall is getting OLD in terms of baseball career, a 35yr old OF this season. It’s expected he will continue to regress.
His ErrR is basically league average. His ARM was below average last year, and is hovering around average this year.
What we’ve got is a guy who makes average errors, has average to below average arm strength lately, has negative ability to get to the ball compared to the average player, over an average season he will be below average in defensive runs saved per year lately, and taking into account all his positives, negatives, and neutrals will be a negative defensive value defender.
You can claim the 180 odd innings this year is too small a sample. But you’re ignoring his entire 2022 campaign as well?
Bloom bought into him thinking maybe 2021 wasn’t a fluke and it could be replicated. That’s fine. But given age, even when he was completely healthy he was indicating that it wasn’t.
If you see on him, best you hope for is a lottery ticket prospect or a fringy AAAA infielder to give some depth. Perhaps a reliever who has had bad results in babip and era, but fip look on as a 4.xx guy.
This would be a sell low move to the rest of the league
He’s actually a very good defender
Yeah that’s why your team has not won a world series in a long time. He is an excellent defender w/ speed and he hits wicked (isn’t that Boston slang) home runs when it matters y’all.. Go Braves. We are going to get Adam back send Rosario to Boston. Y’all are not even making the playoffs speaking of not much value. Grand slam in the world series is more than the entire RedSox team has done. Except the manger he did a lot at one point.
@SlickRick2310
Why are you going to give up Rosario? Not happening.
Agreed, but that doesn’t mean a reunion in Atlanta is out of the question. Platoon situation looks intriguing. So, it could happen, but the Braves are cost conscious and farm depleted to a point.
@bravos14
I always wonder why there’s this question about Rosario being platooned. The reason why I wonder is that Rosario is a lifetime .276 hitter against LH pitching, Pillar has done as well as he could with limited game time.
The only reason to platoon him is to give him some days off here and there. As far as I am concerned, Rosario’s eye problems appear to be over. Admittedly, there’s about 80 points difference in his slugging % when he faces LHP, his OBP v LHP is negligible as compared to when he faces RHP, so if Duvall was to come back it may not be a bad move, I just do not see how that is going to happen.
Devers has a better postseason history than Duvall.
Anyone that asserts Duvall has “defensive question marks” cannot have watched him play at all. There’s nothing more to add.
Fred – The one caveat is Duvall has a hard time not getting injured while playing the OF.
Outfielders are discounted when they are made of glass.
For any reasonably decent return you would have to package a prospect with Duvall. Very rarely is a DH type moved for anything but a lottery ticket
We can only dream of a Nelson Cruz trade-like return lol
Once again he’s well above average defensively
By what metrics?
He’s a very good center fielder. What makes you refer to him as a DH-type?
Probably his atrocious UZR/150 of -42.8. Or maybe that he’s been worth -2 OAA in only 143 innings.
Solution is play him in RF.
143 innings is a pretty darn small sample size and Fenway is an odd CF to adjust to for a new player
Are you seriously going on a sample size of 143 innings as opposed to his body of work over his entire career?
That’s ridiculous dude.
143 innings is around 16 games.
Duvall has played 852 games over his career.
This dude actually discounts every game except for the 16 games he has played this year and acts like he is smart for doing so.
Don’t focus on 2023. Add in all of 2022 and you get about 110+ games. Or around 940-950 innings in the outfield.
Duvall has still been below average over that entire span, just not as outrageously so. The guy is 35. What do you expect? He’s not going to perform the way he did earlier in his career at this point.
He’s a depth/platoon piece bloom hoped to buy low on and see rebound. Hasn’t panned out. That’s fine, its just how guys near the end of their careers go.
Honestly GAsoxfan I did see what you are seeing too the last calender year or so. But he didn’t play much RF I don’t think in 2022 so I assumed it could’ve been that he was simply not playing where he’s strongest but I think you’re right.
Rsox at the very least he’s an average defender in the outfield and probably above average in right and left. The comment of him being a DH type is really quite uninformed.
Whoaa Angels putting on a clinic – 24-0, top 7th and Ohtani, that slacker, is only 1-for-6.
CLE would match up well with BOS as long as he starts hitting in the next few weeks. Guards have an excess of middle infielders to deal from. CLE needs a run producer in RF.
If Duvall is healthy I can definitely see the Braves trading for him again. He’s a upgrade over Pillar or Hilliard.
@Mercenary Freddie Freeman
Pillar has done nothing but play well in his very limited game time. His OBP and OPS could be higher, but he’s only had 99 AB’s. Guys that get limited AB’s and game time, it is extremely difficult for them to get timing when they get AB’s, as for Hilliard, he has hardly played and how can Snit fit him in….
He’s actually a very good athlete. Great defender in the outfield. Adam has Duvallu!
They could get a starter for him. He would be perfect for Cleveland.
You’re not getting a ML starter. A further off prospect starter, sure.
Sox could keep Duvall as a DH. They only have 8 or 9 DHs, and with the injury history of these players, Sox may need 3 or 4 more. They guy selling peanuts could play short, and hey, why not use the fat cop in bullpen at 2nd?
8 or 9 DHs and none of them can hit a freaking home run. This is the most boring, most lackluster Boston team since the days of when Butch Hobson was their manager.
Who are the 8 or 9 DHs? Super curious.
Duvall’s only played DH a handful of times in his career, so he can’t be one of them.
Who you got?
Give me Durran + Yoshida + Verdugo and whatever anybody will give us for Duvall
This team is pathetic. You get your hopes high against the Yankees and then they split with Minnesota and promptly loose two out of three to the lowly White Sox, Paxton is hurt again, Sale is probably done for the year. They are going to be sellers at the trade deadline and are destined for last in the division. I don’t know how Chaim Bloom could think this is a successful year.
The Yankees are a different team without Judge as well. Put him back in the lineup and I doubt the series would’ve turned out how it did
Pete Abraham is seeing ghosts. The reason why Duvall is starting is because Duran is not hitting anything. In his last 31 games, and 106 PAs, Duran has -0- HRs and a 35/7 K/W. That’s about as bad as it gets.
Duran is not a HR hitter…. perfectly happy with close to .300 average with 20+ doubles and the Stolen Bases… which by year end should be between 30-40. He should be leading off every game with the exception of a couple tough lefties, and if Cora ever gets his head out of his *** he will stop all this platoon garbarge.
Cooper – Several of us have had this same discussion with Joe in the past. He’s obsessed with homeruns and dislikes Duran.
Going back to June 8th, in 14 games Duran is slashing .359/.405/.487 for an .892 OPS to go along with 6 steals and exceptional defense. He has been EXACTLY what any team would want from their leadoff hitter and CF’er (yes I know Cora doesn’t always bat him leadoff, but he should).
I hate being forced to defend Abraham.
his value goes beyond power. I still expect Duran to eventually hit in the 10-15 range. aT this point it makes more sense to play the young guys and continue to explore trades for duvall