Red Sox get odd Jarren Duran trade prediction with Phillies for 4.97 ERA reliever
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Red Sox get odd Jarren Duran trade prediction with Phillies for 4.97 ERA reliever originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox are going to be making some moves this offseason to try to bolster a team that needs some help in the bullpen and the lineup.
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Whether it's a free agent signing or a trade, the Red Sox are going to be busy this offseason. But it might not just be about adding players to the MLB roster; the Red Sox might be trading from the big league team as well.
Jarren Duran is the one player most likely to be traded. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer is predicting he's traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, but in exchange for an odd return in the form of a mediocre 4.97 ERA reliever, Orion Kerkering.
Red Sox predicted to trade Jarren Duran for Orion Kerkering
"The Philadelphia Phillies will trade for Jarren Duran," Rymer predicts. "As for what a deal could look like, how does everyone like the sound of this challenge trade? Duran for Orion Kerkering."
Duran is a player the Red Sox will be looking to move this offseason. They've opened the door to trade talks before, and this offseason, a deal makes more sense than ever.
He had a down 2026 season, posting an OPS+ under 80 and under 1.0 bWAR as well. The Red Sox have a crowded outfield anyway, so moving him makes too much sense.
However, this prediction from Rymer, where Duran is dealt for Kerkering, would be a bit odd. Duran is under club control through 2028, so the Red Sox will want someone valuable back for him.
Kerkering is a 25-year-old right-handed reliever from the Phillies who is under club control through the 2029 MLB season. So, he has a bit more control than Duran, but not by a significant degree.
The Phillies' right-hander posted a 4.97 ERA this past regular season before he was demoted to the minors after some major struggles late in the year.
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He did have a 2.29 ERA in 64 games in 2024 and a 3.30 ERA in 69 games in 2025, so there is some optimism about Kerkering being a solid contributor for a bullpen.
But after a fielding blunder in the 2025 postseason, he fell out of favor with the Phillies, and a down 2026 season certainly has made him readily available.
The Red Sox taking a chance on Kerkering would make a lot of sense. But to send Duran as the chip to land Kerkering would be a major overpay.
Even though Duran struggled in 2026, he should still be worth more than a depth reliever, especially one coming off his worst season in the big leagues.
This trade prediction is an odd one for the Red Sox, as Duran getting dealt for such an underwhelming return would be very disappointing.
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