Red Sox Reportedly Could Trade Dynamic Outfielder, Rising Fan Favorite If They Sell

Boston has some solid assets to trade at the deadline

Scott Neville | Jun 21, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly Could Trade Dynamic Outfielder, Rising Fan Favorite If They Sell /

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Boston Red Sox

Would the Boston Red Sox trade one of their most dynamic sluggers at this year's trade deadline?

If this current hot streak the team is on fizzles out before the trade deadline, yes they would. The slugger in question is outfielder Adam Duvall, who ranks No. 8 on the team with 0.8 fWAR despite only appearing in 18 games this season.

"Duvall spent two months of the season on the injured list but has posted a 1.067 OPS in 18 games," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Wednesday. "He’s a former Gold Glove-winning outfielder who led the National League with 113 RBIs and hit 38 homers in 2021. Duvall will be a free agent after this season and I expect him to get traded at the deadline."

Bowden also reported that rising first baseman Triston Casas could be on the market as well -- but unlike that report, his take on Duvall actually makes sense. If Boston were to sell, Duvall would almost be guaranteed to be dealt.

Duvall is hitting .313 with 13 extra-base hits including five home runs, 17 RBIs and an aforementioned 1.067 OPS this season, largely due to one of the strongest starts in Red Sox history back in March/April.

The 34-year-old would be a logical trade candidate alongside other impending free agents such as Kiké Hernández and James Paxton. They also would likely ship off Justin Turner and Richard Bleier, who have options for 2024, and would entertain the idea of trading Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen -- both of whom are under contract for 2024.

A complete firesale of players signed this offseason would net some decent returns for the rising farm system, but there's one key aspect that Bowden seems to have overlooked.

The Red Sox are on a six-game winning streak and sit just 1 1/2 games back of both a Wild-Card spot and third place in the loaded and historically talented American League East. If the deadline was this week, the team would be buying not selling.

Should the team taper off, we could also see somewhat of a mix between buying and selling, something Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom deployed a season ago. If that were the case, Duvall would be a logical trade piece.

We've already seen that rising outfielder Jarren Duran is more than capable of handling the everyday center-field duties while Duvall is out. Duvall would certainly be missed in the middle of the order, it would allow Duran to continue his development as a dynamic playmaker on top of whatever return the team would get from a contender for an impact bat.

Duvall very well could be moved, and if the team sputters he almost certainly will be but Bowden might want to ease off the gas with his take, as Boston appears to be finding its way at the perfect time.

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Published Jun 21, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu