The center field market appears to have lots of demand. The Phillies, Mets, Rays, Orioles, Diamondbacks and Royals are all looking for upgrades at the position, according to reporting from Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Those teams all make logical sense. The Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the deadline but lost him to free agency a few months later. The Mets did the same thing with Cedric Mullins, who was terrible for them. The Rays had a rotating cast of characters in the outfield in 2025 and are known to be looking for upgrades. The Orioles traded Mullins and then trotted out Colton Cowser, who struggled while playing through broken ribs. The Diamondbacks have been waiting for Alek Thomas to break out for a few years now. The Royals have been struggling to get good production from the grass for a few seasons and are looking for upgrades.
That demand might outpace the supply. The free agent market doesn’t have a standout option. Trent Grisham would have been the headliner but he accepted a qualifying offer to return to the Yankees. Cody Bellinger is out there but he’s more of a corner guy who can play some center, as opposed to an everyday solution. Bader is available and coming off a nice season at the plate but that was fuelled by a .359 batting average on balls in play. Mullins, as mentioned, is coming off a dreadful campaign.
On the trade market, Luis Robert Jr. is available but he’s coming off two straight poor seasons. The Astros are open to moving Jake Meyers for pitching help but Meyers has generally been a light-hitting, glove-first type in his career. Perhaps the Rockies would be open to moving Brenton Doyle but he’s still controlled for four more seasons and it would be a sell-low move for Colorado after his poor 2025 campaign.
The Red Sox might be willing to move Jarren Duran to clear their outfield logjam but Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan report that the Sox are looking for a return commensurate with his excellent 2024 season as opposed to his 2025 results. Duran’s combination of offense, defense and speed led to FanGraphs crediting him with 6.8 wins above replacement in 2024. Baseball Reference was even more bullish, giving him 8.7 WAR. He regressed a bit in 2025 and ended up at 3.9 fWAR and 4.7 bWAR. He’ll make $7.7MM in 2026 and can be controlled via arbitration for another two seasons after that.
If the Sox don’t want to sell low on Duran and no one is meeting their asking price, then perhaps he’ll stay in Boston. It does feel like they have to move someone, however. Their outfield mix currently projects to include Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and Jhostynxon Garcia. Anthony and Rafaela feel locked in because they have both signed extensions. Rafaela can also play second base but is the best defensive center fielder of the bunch.
Another theoretical trade option is Byron Buxton of the Twins. His contract gives him full no-trade protection through 2026, though it then drops to just a five-team no-trade list for the final two years of the deal. In the lead up to the 2025 deadline, as the Twins sold off a number of controllable relievers and sent infielder Carlos Correa back to Houston, Buxton repeatedly said he wasn’t interested in waiving that clause and wanted to remain a Twin for life.
That stance appears to have softened lately. Reporting last month from Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggested that Buxton would become more open to waiving his clause if the Twins continued tearing down the roster, perhaps by trading Joe Ryan or Pablo López. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey pushed back on the notion that the Twins would be making more sell-side moves but they also haven’t done much this winter to tip the scales either way.
McDaniel and Passan, linked above, say that Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause. It’s unclear if they mean that in the same way as Hayes, where it’s conditional on the Twins going down the rebuild road. Presumably, if Buxton is asked to waive his clause at some point, that would be part of a rebuild regardless.
Buxton is an incredibly talented player who has dealt with a lot of injury issues. His career high in games played in 140, which was back in 2017. From 2018 to 2023, he never topped 92 contests in any one season. He got to 102 in 2024 and 126 this year. When on the field, the quality has been great. He just wrapped up a season in which he hit 35 home runs and stole 24 bases. He slashed .264/.327/.551 and was credited with 5.0 fWAR.
His unique contract reflects that uncertainty. He is being paid $15MM annually, a decent sum but about half of what most superstars get. However, he can make millions more based on plate appearances and MVP voting. For the Twins, or a theoretical team rostering him in the future, they’d be happy to pay him the extra since that means he’s on the field and producing. Buxton would surely garner lots of interest if the Twins made him available but it’s still not clear if the club will go down that road.
Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images
I don’t think Yoshida will be seeing too much time in the OF, unless there’s a rash of injuries.
Password is simply not ready.
I hope the Red Sox are being truthful about refusing to sell low on Duran, they’ve made enough bad deals the past few years.
That Mookie Betts trade will haunt the Red Sox forever…
Acoss—Although the return was not a good one, they had to get back something for Mookie. I don’t believe that he really wanted to stay in Boston. He said all the right things, but I will never believe that the Red Sox ever had a chance to re-sign him. Plus, I also don’t believe that John Henry was ever willing to shell out the dough to keep him.
FatChance65,
It’s a shame either way. Mookie is a player worth paying for, and definitely something the Red Sox would have been able to afford.
It was years ago. Let’s move on. Some trades work out, others don’t. As for Duran, it’s not selling low. He was a superstar the second have of 23 and in 24. As for 25, he was still quality and well Above average. The Sox should command a deep price given his contract status.
He is small in stature and I am thinking the Red Sox thought he would break down with injuries.Teams usually go for bigger stature guys.Betts proved them wrong.I also think unless the greatly overpaid,I do not think Betts will have stayed.I also think praying Casas would be good instead of trying hard for Freddie Freeman is a mistake too.
I was commenting on how the article mentions he has full NTC for 2026 but then only a 5-team NTC the following 2 seasons. But its moot because partway through 2026 he gets 10-and-5, meaning he already has a full NTC for the length of his deal
Across- I would have loved to have Betts remain with the Sox for his career. We will never know for sure if he would have signed with the Sox long term or not. We also don’t know if there was a better trade out there or if they got the most they could have. Like Dewey said, I think it is time to move on and not let it be something we need to let haunt the fans and team forever.
They may have undervalued him or they may have just known it was going to be impossible to keep him in Boston. We will never know for sure.
Betts is a class act and I hope he continues to have great success throughout the remainder of his career.
Fever- I agree. Password is not ready and possibly becomes a trade chip for the right return. Yoshida would spend a minimal amount of time in the field, because the last thing they need is for him to injure himself and have zero value.
I think Duran is going to be the most important trade chip unless somehow they found a taker for Yoshida. I can’t imagine the Sox want to look like fools by selling low on Duran. Breslow is going to want to pad his accomplishments and Duran is still too good to give away for someone who is not a very high return. Chapman and Crochet were huge wins for Breslow. This offseason could seal things when it comes to making the playoffs or at least fighting for a spot, not that there is ever a guarantee.
I am trying to stay patient as I know there is still a very long way until spring training.
With how many guys the Twins traded away last year and still have on the roster that are wanted across the league how could they be so bad?
They traded maj my pen arms at the deadline. They have couple of position guys and a couple of starters to go.
Won’t Buxton have 10-and-5 rights after the 2026 season anyway?
Kevin D. 2: That’s a year from now.
Puzzles me why there are not (at least) 30 good centerfield options in baseball. Baseball must be hard.
Seems like an odd thing for both a front office and player agent to miss. Only makes sense to include the 5 team post 2026 if you’re planning to trade him by then
Whoops. This was meant for Kevin’s message
There are excellent centerfield options for every club – defensively.
It’s finding someone excellent defensively who can hit the ball effectively.
Victor Robles or Luke Raley could be cheap options for CF
I don’t think anyone views Raley as a legit option in CF.
Regarding Duran, a 3.9 FWAR is not an 8.7. There were only three players who had at least 8.7 FWAR, and those were Judge, Ohtani, and Raleigh. Duran was tied for 53rd. That doesn’t mean he’s not very good, but you can’t trade your best and brightest in platoons for 3.9. On Roberts, every year I think he’ll be traded, and it never happens–
Not sure what point you’re making as you’re switching years and between fWAR and bWAR with those numbers.
Duran’s peripheral offensive and baserunning numbers have been nearly identical for 3 years, so much of the variation is either from the assessment system or randomness.
The rest of the of the variation is based on the position he’s being asked to play. He’s a CFer playing LF, which greatly diminishes his WAR value and LF at Fenway is particularly difficult for defensive metrics to evaluate due to the small size, lack of foul territory and of course the green monster.
Any team looking to acquire Duran should plan to use him in CF where he’s far more valuable and will likely provide 5 win seasons going forward. For a team who already has a starting CFer, he likely won’t be worth the cost of acquisition.
When comparing Duran to players like Judge and Ohtani one major difference is cost. Duran is not going to cost a team half a billion dollars over the next 10 years, so it opens up a different market. Raleigh is not likely to ever become available unless Seattle can’t afford him down the road. Duran has all the tools needed to have a major impact in a team’s outfield, especially in center. The big question is will a team want him enough to give up what I hope Breslow will be asking.
Hey, maybe they should look at me, I can be centerfield! 😉
tigerdoc616: Better get out there and haul some oats. 🤣
tiger- me, too. I spent some time in the Mudville 9.
I think the Red Sox are smart enough to deal Duran for the best deal they can get. Holding out for some crazy overpay on the basis of a career year is just expecting too much.
Some teams are also likely skeptical he’s the kind of player who will age well, but assuming he plays a better centerfield than he does left field, there should be sufficient demand for him to generate a decent deal. The number of players in the league who can play every day in CF and generate league average offense while also playing league average defense can be counted on one hand.
Most every team in baseball needs a well-rounded CF. I don’t know where they went, but they’re quickly becoming extinct. Forget Willie Mays or Ken Griffey Jr., think how much Jimmy Edmonds would command in today’s MLB.
Age well? He’s two years from free agency and an acquiring team is not yet looking at an extension.
He’ll be 29 1/2 by the time next year rolls around and speed is his calling card. He loses any of it and results will fall accordingly. Not saying it will happen, but it adds to the acquiring team’s risk evaluation and what they’re willing to pay, that’s all.
@deweybelongsinthehall
Duran had 3 years of control (through arbitration) remaining. He’ll be a free agent in the 2028-2029 off-season.
I think it depends on what that deal would be. You don’t just trade Duran for the sake of trading him. You need to get a significant return.
I understand that his stats were not at the same level as his breakout year in 2024 and that his fielding (primarily his range) was not nearly as impressive. I think settling into a centerfield position where he can best utilize his speed is going to have a big impact.
I agree with Dewey that age is not something that teams should be overly concerned about at this point. Yes, speed can decline, but think about players like Rickey Henderson who was stealing nearly 70 bases at the age of 39 (I know he was not your typical player). With Duran he is only going to be turning 32 when his arbitration years are up. That does not seem risky to me.
Perhaps not to you or a big market team, but to a small market team, the risks are evident, Duran is already going to be paid $8m in 2026 and with scheduled arbitration escalators after that, he will get expensive quickly if he does not perform, and that doesn’t even take into account the substantial acquisition costs required in the form of prospects, the lifeblood of small market teams, teams who cannot afford to merely sweep mistakes under the rug, and pull out a checkbook to cover it all up.
Duran or Abreu should be moved for a high end return that fits needed deficiencies or you don’t trade them it’s simple as that. One other thing to remember I think they are going to transition Kristian Campbell to left field where I think he profiles better than the infield. It’s unlikely but possible that two outfielders could be moved. It sounds like Campbell is going to play a lot of outfield in the winter league. Just something to think about. Anthony is the only guy who isn’t going anywhere followed by Rafaela.
I think you’ve appropriately assessed the depth the Red Sox have in the outfield, but I’d think this argues for the team not rigidly seeking a “high end” return for their excess. As long as any deal addresses team needs, they shouldn’t worry about extracting surplus value for Duran or whomever they decide to move on from. Better to get fair value and get the team settled than to play a game of chicken with others because you think you can get more. At some point you risk being left holding the bag with your inflated perception of your players while teams move on to other opportunities. It’s not the worst thing, of course (trading players for less than their value definitely is) but when you’re in the position Boston is, acting swiftly and decisively while more options exist might be the best way to go.
The Mets will need a CF since they traded theirs away. I doubt any of the minor leagues options would be in play and if they had not traded PCA, he would have been up by now but that trade really nipped them in the kiester.
I could see myself with a Mets hat if Buxton is traded there
Stearns stated Benge will get a shot. It probably makes sense to get a corner OF like Bellinger to pair with Benge in CF. External options don’t look great
The other issue is that Nimmo was an excellent OBP machine. Hence why he was batting first. He’d either get a hit or a walk and I always liked his hustle. That’s a hard replacement.
And trading PCA forced the Mets to give Nimmo 8 years, which aged even more poorly than predicted…since he was out of CF in year 2.
That in turn led to Semien, which blocks Jett Williams and maybe AJ Ewing.
I can’t see the Rockies trading Doyle, especially after a down year. Not only is he popular, but since the Rockies don’t have a MLB-ready CF prospect they’d be playing Mickey Moniak there which is not what you want behind your young pitchers at Coors Field. A GG-caliber CF has more value for the Rockies than for a team in a stadium where CF is less challenging.
Doesn’t matter. Put anyone out there. If they can get a good return for Doyle that fits their competitive window better, you do it 10 times out of 10.
Agreed. Their competitive window is pretty far away so sell the doors, sell the used toilet, sell the blinds.
Work out a deal with the Tigers for Meadows with Doyle going the other way. Fill in around the edges of the deal. Change of scenery deal.
Rockies and fans are willing to give GGer Doyle a pass for his 2025 season offense results due to his family tragedy mid-season. He was very hot early in the season, then it took a few months back from bereavement to kick it back in gear. If he repeats 2024, he’ll definitely be trade bait at mid-season. The new FO will be more active and decisive in the future, and 2026 won’t be pretty for the Rockies as they rebuild from the ground up throughout the system.
Jake Meyers to the Mets for Chrsitian Scott.
Astrosfn1979: He’s no better than Tyrone Taylor.
I’d put the Dodgers on the list of teams looking for a CF. While Pages filled in nicely in 2025 he’s better suited for RF, range and arm. Move Teoscar Hernandez to LF, or trade him and also acquire a LF.
1
Dodgers have plenty of CF options.
None are ideal options. Edman best served as super bench player who can play CF, 2B, SS and even 3B. Pages is better suited for RF. They likely will just pursue a corner OF to replace Conforto. But better served trading Teo and acquiring a CF and LF. Trading Teo is a challenge though.
I actually think trading Jeremy Pena to the Dodgers could be interesting.
Betts could move back to 2B or RF wherever he is needed.
Alex Freeland, River Ryan, and Emmett Sheehan.
Who says “no”?
Betts is not going anywhere. Staying at SS.
if the Yankees sign Cody Bellinger when can they trade Grissom?
I believe they can theoretically trade him now but who is paying that salary? For the Yankees to kick in the money needed to get a deal done, they’re better served to just keep him for 26.
If you mean ‘Grisham’, they must keep him until June 15th UNLESS he agrees to the trade – if he does, they can trade him at any time.
Can’t trade him till June
No stories I’ve seen about the CF market have mentioned Myles Straw as a potential trade target.
Blue Jays fans, would it make sense to trade Straw and a little cash to help shore up another spot on the roster or pick up a prospect?
Am I overvaluing him as a possible Harrison Bader circa 2023-2024 type pickup, or could a team just wanting to stabilize CF benefit from acquiring Straw?
If I were Breslow I’d still keep Duran whose ceiling is seemingly much higher offensively and a game-changer on the base paths. Rafaela to me would seem like a more attractive player to trade as he’s locked in to an affordable deal and the ability to play multiple positions well and an elite CF. Abreu is looking like a perennial all star with his great defense and emerging power. I worry how current international tensions could impact him or the team (which is not a political comment, just relevant to the discussion on his availability to the Sox and MLB).
Any chance to yankees can trade Grisham?? Horrible mistake offering him the offer
No chance on trading Grishom at that price. Abreu needs to learn how to hit lefties otherwise he’ll pretty much platoon his whole career despite his defense. Finally, I don’t move Rafaela who is relatively cheap. Duran will be a free agent in 27 and will get more expensive next season. That said he has a robust market right now and this is the time to move him
I like to optimism for Abreu, but it’s important to note that he’s been mostly platooned in his young career. He only had 68 PA against LHPs in 2025 and a 85 wRC+ against them, which was much better than 2024.
If the D’Backs were to trade Marte, it could be a Red Sox trade that involves maybe besides Duran plus might include a top 15 pitching prospect.
I think that’s the trade that makes the most sense for both teams. The Red Sox have an abundance of MLB-ready young arms as well as Kutter Crawford, who still has 3 years of control remaining. Meanwhile, Lawler and Alexander are probably ready to be fulltime players (IMO).
The DBacks are lusting after Connelly Early which I don’t blame them. I think he goes in a trade with Arizona along with other pieces.
@Bruin1012
That would make sense. It feels like Duran+Early would be a bit heavy, but maybe that’s the cost they have to hit (as the Gray trade package felt a bit heavy as well).
Where did you hear/read this?
WCSox it’s well known that Arizona wanted Connelly Early at the deadline last year for either Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen. Breslow wisely said no and then the D backs went on and traded Kelly to the Rangers but make no mistake they wanted Early.
I then heard that the D backs were willing to trade Marte so just did some google stuff and found out that indeed that Arizona was indeed still very interested in Connelly Early and numerous articles said that Arizona would want Early as part of the return for Ketel Marte if traded to Boston.
It’s not surprising I’m really big on Connelly Early and I’m not surprised that Arizona is as well. Arizona has had one of the top 5 run producing offenses in baseball in the last few years. Where they have come up short is on the pitching side of things. In fact there are some suggestions that Arizona wants to raid the Red Sox deep pitching farm in a trade for Ketel Marte including Early and Witherspoon. I think they are more likely to trade Marte for an all pitching return than they really want Duran.
Let me be clear I don’t want to trade Connelly Early in a trade for Ketel Marte. I think Early is going to break out in a big way this season and by the end of the season assuming that the Red Sox make the post season he will be #2. He just checks all the boxes of a guy that can be a high end pitcher. I do think if we hear that Breslow made a trade for Marte he is going to be one of the pieces going to the D backs.
@Bruin1012 As far as I can tell the Early rumors were started by Jen McCaffrey when she made a speculative trade of Kelly for Early as a potential deal. At no point does she say that the Diamondbacks were interested in Early. Only other site I can find that mentions Early to the Diamondbacks is called ALBAT from Sinaloa and they already to be a non-journalistic site posing as something else.
It would make sense that Arizona would want Early, but I can’t find any corroboration. Could you provide a source, or is this just speculation?
WCS it was Alex Speir and Tim Healy of the Boston Globe reported that Connelly Early was the sticking point in a Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen trade. It came from multiple sources.
According to the Boston Globe article the Red Sox were willing to make Brandon Clarke part of the return for either Kelly or Gallen but balked at Connelly Early. Alex Speir is a pretty respected especially when it comes to Red Sox news and he made it clear that Arizona desired Connelly Early.
I think it’s mostly speculation in a Ketel Marte at this point but I would be shocked if Early wasn’t in any deal for Marte since they D backs clearly valued him according to Speir.
@Bruin1012
Thanks! It wasn’t coming up for me, likely due to the BG paywall. Found it from third party now. Yeah, Speier is one of the best in my experience.
Just read a QA with the Phil’s minor league director who said Crawford is read for the Majors and will play center field there “for a very long time.” If he’s right, I strongly favor Tucker/Bellinger in right, saying goodbye to Mr Schwarber and we could live with a platoon situation in left.
I’d like the Sox to keep all four of Anthony, Rafaela, Duran and Abreu, but if one has to go it should be Duran as part of a package for a #2 starter.
4.7 bWAR makes him a top 30 player. In 2024 he was #5 overall. I can see why the Red Sox would want a very high return. Not many players of that caliber in MLB.
Twins and A’s have a no brainer trade even tho they rarely deal with each other….. Joe Ryan to the A’s for Colby Thomas (OF) and Karuda-Grauer (SS). Both needs for a rebuild and Thomas is ready to rock n roll in the bigs, A’s have no pitching and a logjam in the outfield. Convincing Ryan to sign a 6 year deal will be easy because the Vegas A’s are coming strong. grayer is a particularly athletic SS. If the A’s can turn Leo Devries into a second baseman and with Tommy ‘tanks’ White bombing on third. Best infield in ball for many years to come. If you build it they will come
Shut up.
Duran has 3 years 155 days service per Cot’s, so he’ll be a FA after the 2028 season.
fail
What type of return would Buxton even fetch with the contract structure and injury history?
The Shredder on MLBN had Marsh as 6th best CF in MLB enterring last year. He didnt hit at all in April and didnt stop hitting until the playoffs. Not every guy has to be Willie Mays. Maybe dummy Rob Thomson hopefully doesnt hit him 5th vs RHP and benched vs LHP. Priority needs to be Schwarber, Catcher, Right handed power hitter and BP. Go get em Dombrobro. John Midd said its only money….
Royals should ditch Boston trade if it involves Ragans. I expect Ragans to bounce back this year from injuries. I would sign Yaz to come back to KC to face lefties in RF & CF. I would focus on Donovan from St. Louis or Kwan From Cleveland. I would offer Bubic, Blake Mitchell, and Drew Beam. Should get either deal done. You could swap Mitchell for Ramon Ramirez if either club prefers. Royals stacked at catching. Jensen is off the table. Kid can hit and is patient. Possible ROY.