MLB Rumors: This Team ‘Relentless’ In Pursuit Of Red Sox’s Jarren Duran

Jarren Duran’s biggest fan apparently doesn’t also root for the Boston Red Sox.

It’d be sort of a conflict of interest…

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller has long gushed over the speedy outfielder, having checked in on possibly acquiring him numerous times over the last three seasons — to no avail. MassLive’s Sean McAdam says this year is no different, reporting the executive’s club has been “relentless in their pursuit of Duran and have repeatedly approached the Red Sox,” citing industry sources.

The Red Sox certainly aren’t itching to ship off who many people have identified as their emotional leader, but having such an eager trade partner doesn’t exactly happen all the time. Duran would fetch a pretty package on the open market, so perhaps the club entertains the idea, if not only to see if they can distribute depth evenly across the roster.

Duran is one of six players currently vying for four spots in the lineup, as Masataka Yoshida’s recent return added him to the outfield/designated hitter group already consisting of Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaeala, Roman Anthony and Rob Refsnyder. Red Sox manager Alex Cora can only cycle through them so much, especially considering Rafaela and Refsnyder’s bats are so valuable from the right side of the plate.

If you’re actually looking to put out valuable lineups on a daily basis, using a surplus to supplement your weak spots is just good business.

McAdam mentioned the idea of Preller potentially getting creative in trying to get this deal done, as he’d likely need to package two of his top prospects — catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leo de Vries — to include a third team that could send an impact starting pitcher back to Boston.

It’s also totally possible that both clubs figure that pulling from their biggest strength to fill their biggest weakness might lead to uneven results…

Can you see a move like this happening, Red Sox fans? Let us know in the comments.