After two previous stints with the Braves, Adam Duvall looks to be on the club’s radar again, as MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam writes that “the Braves are said to have some interest in yet another reunion with” the veteran outfielder. Duvall would be a rental pickup, as his one-year, $7MM deal with the Red Sox is up at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Sox will even part ways with Duvall, as Boston is itself in a playoff chase. The right-handed hitting Duvall has some obvious utility for the Red Sox given that he can at least passably play any of the three outfield positions, and Boston’s starting three outfielders (Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, and Alex Verdugo) are all left-handed bats. Theoretically, Enrique Hernandez could move from the infield back into an outfield role if Duvall was moved, though Hernandez has been struggling through a rough year at the plate and could be a trade candidate himself at the deadline.
That wouldn’t stop the Braves from at least asking about Duvall, and some potential exists for Atlanta and Boston to line up on a deal that would address mutual needs on the big league roster. Both clubs are looking for pitching, but as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes, the Braves might have something of a bullpen surplus once all of their relievers start to return from the injured list. Speculatively, one of those Atlanta relievers might be of interest to the Red Sox, even if Boston needs rotation help more directly than another bullpen arm.
Since the Red Sox operated in both a buying and selling capacity at last year’s trade deadline, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom could explore a similar strategy this year, even though the Sox are in a better position to contend than the 2022 group. The Braves are obviously aiming to win now, and given the past creativity of president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, any number of trade scenarios could exist between Atlanta and Boston.
Duvall is hitting .257/.320/.515 with seven home runs over 153 plate appearances this season, though a lot of that production came within an absurdly hot start. Duvall had a 1.544 OPS and four homers in his first 37 PA, before a wrist fracture sidelined him for two months. Upon his return, Duvall’s bat has been much quieter, with only a .194/.259/.350 slash line over his last 116 PA. He has started to hit a little better in the last couple of weeks, and a trade (particularly to a familiar location like Atlanta) might further spark Duvall’s offense.
If a trade did happen, it would mark the fourth time in Duvall’s career that he has been traded at the deadline, with two of those prior swaps sending him to the Braves. The Giants dealt Duvall to the Reds in July 2015, Cincinnati moved Duvall to the Braves in July 2018, and Atlanta picked him up yet again in a deal with the Marlins in July 2021. The latter move is the most notable, as Duvall hit well for a Braves team that went on to capture the World Series.
Duvall would provide depth throughout Atlanta’s outfield, and would most likely pair with Eddie Rosario in a platoon in left field. Both Rosario and Duvall are having some uncharacteristic reverse-splits seasons, so while it might end up being an unusual bizarro platoon, left field is Duvall’s easiest path to playing time since Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II are entrenched in right and center field. The left-handed hitting Harris might also be a platoon possibility, but Harris has been so hot at the plate over the last six weeks that the Braves likely want to keep him in the lineup as often as possible.
