Red Sox Reportedly 'Unlikely' To Deal Slugger Despite Trade Rumors

Boston could keep their outfield in tact

Scott Neville | Jul 26, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly 'Unlikely' To Deal Slugger Despite Trade Rumors /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of some major roster shakeups, and have a huge decision to make on one of their top power hitters as they navigate a buy/sell approach that leans a lot more heavily toward adding.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has said himself he plans on buying but has not ruled out selling some pieces off either, as proven when he shipped off Kiké Hernández to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

There have been rumors for months about Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall being a likely candidate to be moved at the trade deadline but one national reporter does not believe it's a sure thing.

"Duvall has won a Gold Glove Award and an RBI title and hit 38 homers in a season two years ago, but it’s unlikely he’s traded unless the Red Sox put him in a package to land a much-needed starting pitcher," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Tuesday. "He will be a free agent after this season."

Other reporters seem to think he's much more available than Bowden does but all agree that Duvall would be the one to go if he can be packaged for pitching. If that were to be the case, it would have to be a buyer-to-buyer trade and I'd find it hard to believe a contender would trade any starting pitcher of value that could help them win now ahead of a playoff race.

Duvall is hitting .259 with 20 extra-base hits including seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a .840 OPS (121 OPS+) in 40 games this season. His bat has especially been helpful as of late, seeing as Alex Verdugo has been ice-cold in July.

It still sounds like the majority of the media would assume Duvall is moved but Bowden sounds confident in his sources.

More MLB: Chaim Bloom's Latest Comments Imply Big Moves Are Coming To Bolster Roster

Published Jul 26, 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