Red Sox biggest trade deadline win was the deal they didn't make

The Boston Red Sox didn't do a whole lot at the MLB trade deadline. Adding pitcher Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers was their splashiest move, but that didn't satiate fans' craving for multiple impact players to help the Sox continue an unlikely run to the AL East crown. So it's a tough sell to convince Sox fans their team actually made a great deal by not making a deal at all, but... that's the case with outfielder Jarren Duran right now.

Duran was a popular name in trade talks leading up to the deadline, mostly because the Sox have a bit of a logjam in the outfield right now. I never really understood it, but the rumors seemed well-founded and a Duran trade felt like it wasn't out of the picture.

Of course, the Sox didn't end up dealing Duran, and that's already shaping up to be the right decision as he is starting to play more like the guy who finished No. 5 in baseball in WAR last season. Over the past month-ish, Duran is mashing the baseball and his OPS is approaching .800, a mark he hasn't reached yet in 2025.

Red Sox made the right decision not trading Jarren Duran

There's an obsession in baseball (and sports in general) with the unknown. Yes, the Red Sox have lots of young talent in the outfield with Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony and Jhostynxon Garcia making his way through the Sox farm system.

But viewing Duran as the odd man out doesn't make sense because... his peak has been far, far better than anyone else in this outfield group! He was one of the best players in baseball last year and even in a "down" 2025 has been a well above average player. He's also 28 years old and probably entering his prime. He's far from being a guy you trade for the sole purpose of filling a roster hole, and the Red Sox not doing that is a win... even if the trade deadline as a whole was a dud (and it was).