Phillies Predicted to Land Struggling Former All-Star in Interesting Trade

The Philadelphia Phillies should look to improve their roster this offseason after losing to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Series this postseason.

One of the Phillies' top roster needs heading into the offseason is another impactful outfielder. Because of this, they are now being predicted to make an interesting trade with the Boston Red Sox.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Zachary D. Rymer predicted that the Phillies would acquire former All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran from the Red Sox in exchange for relief pitcher Orion Kerkering.

"It would also be a reunion of sorts. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was still running the Red Sox when they drafted Duran in 2018. Despite his recent slide, he's still proven to be one of the top players from that year's draft class," Rymer wrote. "As for what a deal could look like, how does everyone like the sound of this challenge trade? Duran for Orion Kerkering."

This would be a very intriguing trade for the Phillies to make. Duran is coming off a down season with the Red Sox, as he had a career-worst .209 batting average in 151 games. However, he also recorded 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases, so he still provided some offense.

Furthermore, Duran's resume indicates that he could bounce back. Just back in 2025 with the Red Sox, Duran posted 13 triples, 16 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 41 doubles, and a .256 batting average in 157 games. He also had 14 triples, 21 home runs, 34 stolen bases, 48 doubles, and a .285 batting average as an All-Star in 2024. With this, he was a high-impact player not very long ago and could be worth taking a gamble on for the Phillies.

Trading Kerkering for Duran could be worth the risk for the Phillies, too. The right-hander had a high 4.97 ERA in 62 games with Philadelphia this season. Thus, parting ways with him for an intriguing bounce-back candidate like Duran could make sense for the Phillies.