LAS VEGAS — Jarren Duran occupies a familiar place: a spinning rumor mill.
The Red Sox have discussed the possibility of dealing Duran on and off for multiple years, including prior to the start of the 2026 season — the team had numerous conversations with the Astros about infielder Isaac Paredes — and leading up to this year’s deadline.
Given that history, it should come as little surprise that — according to several industry sources — Duran has been an oft-discussed player thus far this offseason, including at the GM meetings.
How available? It depends on who is answering.
“Very available,” said one National League evaluator. “They’re looking to move him.”
“Clearly available,” said another.
“More available than a year ago,” said one American League evaluator.
At the same time, members of the Sox — while describing the organization as open-minded to numerous moves involving players on the big league roster — have downplayed their need and desire to move the 30-year-old.
Though his performance unraveled in 2026 — he hit .207/.266/.361, all his worst marks since his first cup of coffee in 2021 — Duran still offered glimpses of his athleticism and potential dynamism, hitting 20 homers and stealing 21 bases for the second 20/20 season of his career. Per Statcast, he also graded as four fielding runs above average, the sixth most valuable defensive left fielder in baseball.
“Jarren will be the first person to say that his 2026 season was disappointing from a performance standpoint,” said Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow. “We also know what he’s capable of. We’ve seen that in ‘24 and ’25. He’s just such a dynamic athlete that he really fits what we’re trying to build. So we’re glad that he’s on our roster and part of the team.”
The Sox have faced a theoretical outfield logjam, given a roster featuring Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida. Yet that quintet has rarely been healthy at the same time, and so Duran — despite an up-and-down performance — has averaged 156 games over the last three seasons.
Still, his performance has slid considerably over that time. He was an All-Star and top-10 MVP candidate in 2024, a player whose final 2025 numbers (.256/.332/.442) remained those of an above-average outfielder despite some significant peaks and valleys, and one of the least productive hitters in baseball in 2026.
That three-year span suggests a huge gap between Duran’s ceiling and floor — a fact that can complicate his value in the trade market. Some teams have suggested the Sox are seeking major league value for Duran commensurate with his pre-2026 performance.
No team wants to sell low on a player if it anticipates a bounceback. At the same time, no team acquiring a player coming off the worst year of his career would want to ignore the season that just occurred.
“When you’re approaching taking trades, I think what 30 teams are trying to do is decouple what someone just did from what we think they’re going to do,” said Breslow. “Selling high or selling low is going to be a look back on what their performance just was. What we’re trying to evaluate is, what is their talent and therefore what type of season or seasons are they going to have in the future? … Ultimately, the position that I would take is, if there isn’t a team who values a player in the way that we value them, then there probably isn’t a trade partner for us with respect to that player.”
There are other complications to trading Duran aside from his 2026 downturn. Right now, he has two remaining years of arbitration-eligible team control. (MLB Trade Rumors projects Duran to receive a salary just north of $11 million in 2027.)
But one evaluator noted that discussions about trades for players with one or two seasons of remaining team control are particularly difficult given the forthcoming work stoppage could upend the sport’s labor rules.
A team could be trading for a partial season in 2027, which might limit what it’s willing to sacrifice in terms of players with additional years of control. Further, it’s at least possible that the path to free agency could be shortened on the other side of the lockout, meaning a team that trades for Duran might only get one pre-free-agent year if acquiring him.
There are other trade ideas that could sidestep such long-term questions. For one example: Perhaps the Sox could explore a trade with the Dodgers involving righthander slugger Teoscar Hernández, who had a slightly above-average line of .256/.308/.441 while averaging 21 homers over the last two years.
The Sox are looking to add righthanded thump to take advantage of Fenway — the team, according to major league sources, also has checked in on free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki — while the Dodgers are looking to add athleticism.
Perhaps there are other matches of shorter-term options on the market. For now, teams have seen the GM meetings as a chance to begin trade conversations rather than finalize them. Deals involving Duran — or, for that matter, other Sox players — don’t appear imminent.
Instead, there are two certainties surrounding Duran: The Red Sox are open to exploring trades involving the outfielder, and establishing his value is complicated. Just as they’ve been for much of the last two years.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.