Third Baseman Ketel Marte Is On the Boston Red Sox's Radar

[Old Red]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

My suggestion gives them a good pitching prospect plus your fave--- DHam.

I don’t know which pitching suspect would be better, but Seattle’s is a switch pitcher.

[Duran Is The Man]

27 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I don’t know which pitching suspect would be better, but Seattle’s is a switch pitcher.

i've seen him pitch many times. and while he can pitch well with either hand, he throws right-handed 95% of the time.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

I don’t know which pitching suspect would be better, but Seattle’s is a switch pitcher.

I predict he's a suspect lefty and righty.

[Randy Red Sox]

you know this entire debate is simply a waste of time. Alledglly the Sox have been in  on Schwarber, Alonso  Bichette,, the Japanese 1B, Skubal, Martes, Parelas, Donovan and many others i can't remember.  The only guy they got was Conteras who is a downgrade both in talent and most importantly salary. I am simply waiting for the next guy we add either on a 1 yr deal or a trade where we give up one or two of our top SP prospects. RSN is smoking some funny stuff if they are expecting more.

[JoeBrady]

4 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm not sure why having fun with this bothers people, or why they feel they need to assign motives to our doing it

That's the nature with some people.

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

To BOS: Donovan & Mitch Keller

To PIT: Crawford & Witherspoon

To STL: DHam and Seth Hernandez

Pitt won't do that.  Hernandez might be real good.  I'd give them Crawford, Witherspoon, and DHam straight up for Hernandez.  But I don't see Pitt's motive for that.  The package would likely have to start with Duran.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

Pitt won't do that.  Hernandez might be real good.  I'd give them Crawford, Witherspoon, and DHam straight up for Hernandez.  But I don't see Pitt's motive for that.  The package would likely have to start with Duran.

PIT is making moves for the here and now. You may be right about them wanting more for the 6th overall pick, but not Duran. (I may be overvaluing Duran, but I think you undervalue him.)

I doubt the Sox are looking to trade for a guy drafted out of HS, this summer. I'd take Keller and Donovan for Crawford, Witherspoon & DHam in a heartbeat.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

That's the nature with some people.

I get that and don't really have an issue with it, but when you continually explain the motivation is not to get a trade right but just to have some fun, yet we keep hearing the same misrepresentation over and over, it get's a bit weird.

[Old Red]

7 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I get that and don't really have an issue with it, but when you continually explain the motivation is not to get a trade right but just to have some fun, yet we keep hearing the same misrepresentation over and over, it get's a bit weird.

No no! Weird used to be on at midnight with Eddie Driscoll playing Uncle Gory. That was WEIRD.😉

[JoeBrady]

17 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

(I may be overvaluing Duran, but I think you undervalue him.)

I doubt the Sox are looking to trade for a guy drafted out of HS, this summer.

1-More like that I am over-valuing Hernandez than under-valuing Duran.  It's also an issue of fit.  If we had a choice of trading Duran for Lodolo or Hernandez, I'd prefer Hernandez.  We've discussed this before irt other #2 hypotheticals, but how much better will Lodolo be over our #6?  FG projects Early and Tolle to have better ERAs.

So for two years, I don't think your sure we will even improve over our current situation.  There are very few pitching prospects that rank as high as Hernandez.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

1-More like that I am over-valuing Hernandez than under-valuing Duran.  It's also an issue of fit.  If we had a choice of trading Duran for Lodolo or Hernandez, I'd prefer Hernandez.  We've discussed this before irt other #2 hypotheticals, but how much better will Lodolo be over our #6?  FG projects Early and Tolle to have better ERAs.

So for two years, I don't think your sure we will even improve over our current situation.  There are very few pitching prospects that rank as high as Hernandez.

Good points.

I see it this way. 

Lodolo is ___ better than Sandoval/Oviedo/Crawford/Harrison (our likely 4/5 SP'er.) He may even be better than Bello. (I think he is.) Measure the difference and compare to this:

Duran starting in the OF, instead of Anthony, Abreu or Rafaela. Or Duran's ____ value as a DH.

.774 was Duran's 2025 OPS and .780 career OPS. (His speed adds enormous value on offense.)

.762 is Yoshida's career OPS.

To me Lodolo's improvement over who he replaces is greater than Duran's improvement over Yoshida/Casas/Romy/Campbell at DH.

In a vacuum, I'd prefer Duran.

[JoeBrady]

3 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

.774 was Duran's 2025 OPS and .780 career OPS. (His speed adds enormous value on offense.)

.762 is Yoshida's career OPS.

That's my point in trading Duran.  IMHO, the difference between him and Masa, isn't nearly worth what a guy like Hernandez might be worth.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, JoeBrady said:

That's my point in trading Duran.  IMHO, the difference between him and Masa, isn't nearly worth what a guy like Hernandez might be worth.

The difference as a DH, yes, but his value as an OF'er is much higher.

Duran has the 4th highest fWAR among OF'ers since 2024. (Abreu and Rafaela are top 24.)

The guy have high value.

[notin]

On 12/29/2025 at 8:53 PM, Randy Red Sox said:

you know this entire debate is simply a waste of time. Alledglly the Sox have been in  on Schwarber, Alonso  Bichette,, the Japanese 1B, Skubal, Martes, Parelas, Donovan and many others i can't remember.  The only guy they got was Conteras who is a downgrade both in talent and most importantly salary. I am simply waiting for the next guy we add either on a 1 yr deal or a trade where we give up one or two of our top SP prospects. RSN is smoking some funny stuff if they are expecting more.

Contreras is a downgrade in talent?  Our leader in games played at 1b last year was ABRAHAM TORO.

And on that list, only Schwarber and Alonso are off the board.  (And maybe Parelas, but I am not sure who you are referring to so I don’t know).  Obviously thr Sox are going to miss out on others, and presumably land one or some other rough equivalent.

Most rumors are clickbait with either no substance or exaggerated interest.  So who knows how interested the Sox were in any player, and who they’re really in on.  How many Sonny Gray or Johan Oviedo rumors did you hear prior to those deals?

[mvp 78]

11 minutes ago, notin said:

How many Sonny Gray or Johan Oviedo rumors did you hear prior to those deals?

You can say the same thing about many of the Breslow deals (Crochet, Chapman, Narvaez). The only deal that was telegraphed was Bregman and that was because others in the FO really wanted him and Breslow wasn't on board. He runs a tight ship and has a small circle that doesn't leak anything. If stories are getting out about particular trades, you have to believe it's coming from the other team and may not be anything the Sox are serious about. 

[mvp 78]

12 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

The difference as a DH, yes, but his value as an OF'er is much higher.

Duran has the 4th highest fWAR among OF'ers since 2024. (Abreu and Rafaela are top 24.)

The guy have high value.

To the Sox, yes. He doesn't seem to have high value across the league. 

[notin]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You can say the same thing about many of the Breslow deals (Crochet, Chapman, Narvaez). The only deal that was telegraphed was Bregman and that was because others in the FO really wanted him and Breslow wasn't on board. He runs a tight ship and has a small circle that doesn't leak anything. If stories are getting out about particular trades, you have to believe it's coming from the other team and may not be anything the Sox are serious about. 

Or an Internet guy who writes articles and thinks he covers sports.

I read a great one about Roman Anthony going to the Padres, and it was written like Anthony was a free agent saying stuff like “the lure of San Diego might be too strong” and citing how Anthony will want this move.  It completely ignored than Anthony signed with Boston for 8 more years.  Never even mentioned it.

 

(The Crochet trade had plenty of buzz beforehand.  We even discussed the pros and cons of his acquisition on this forum before the deal was final.)

[notin]

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

To the Sox, yes. He doesn't seem to have high value across the league. 

If the Sox are asking for Ragans, there’s a good chance they might be the ones with questionable valuation techniques…

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

If the Sox are asking for Ragans, there’s a good chance they might be the ones with questionable valuation techniques…

 

5 minutes ago, notin said:

If the Sox are asking for Ragans, there’s a good chance they might be the ones with questionable valuation techniques…

I think their valuation has been up for debate ever since they signed Masa and it fell flat. Those scouts are still onboard FWIW.

[notin]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

 

I think their valuation has been up for debate ever since they signed Masa and it fell flat. Those scouts are still onboard FWIW.

Do scouts recommend value?  I think Bloom put the dollars on the table.

Not blaming the scouts for overvaluing Duran, who is still very valuable.  Just not Ragans level…

[JoeBrady]

20 minutes ago, notin said:

It completely ignored than Anthony signed with Boston for 8 more years.

I've read this ever since I invented the internet.  Every year, without fail, there are rumors which make -0- sense.  It's one thing to discuss a trade for Greene, which is unlikely, but possible.  It's another to discuss an Ohtani or Judge trade.

[JoeBrady]

20 minutes ago, notin said:

If the Sox are asking for Ragans, there’s a good chance they might be the ones with questionable valuation techniques…

On any rumor, it doesn't need to be overly specific.  I'd bet that KC has inquired about Duran, and I'd bet that the RS inquired about Ragans.  That's about as close as you're going to get to a realistic scenario.  There are usually 1-2-3 other players involved.

[moonslav59]

34 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

To the Sox, yes. He doesn't seem to have high value across the league. 

I'm not so sure about that. Just because Brez is "asking the world" doesn't mean some hefty offers are not being made- just none Brez likes, right now. Brez may also have told a team or two that he may take their offer, but needs another issue settled first.

I can't imagine why other GMs don't value Duran highly. All it takes is one.

It doesn't look like there is any talk on Abreu or Rafaela, either, but we heard nothing about Sonny Gray or Oviedo, until BAM!

I also feel like they have a lot of faith in Campbell, and having Duran twice blocks KC from an OF slot. KC's other position, DH, is maybe 3 times blocked with Masa, Casa and Romy.

We have a major hole in the infield. Some think we have a hole in the #2 rotation slot. Either way, filling one of those holes and replacing Duran with Campbell just makes too much sense to not happen.

Nothing against Duran. He's one of our top 2-3 offensive players, right now, and our offense looks worse than last year. I'd love to keep him, but I think it is wasteful play Duran (and even worse another of the 3 OF'ers) at DH.

[notin]

18 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

On any rumor, it doesn't need to be overly specific.  I'd bet that KC has inquired about Duran, and I'd bet that the RS inquired about Ragans.  That's about as close as you're going to get to a realistic scenario.  There are usually 1-2-3 other players involved.

Getting a SP from any team interested in Duran makes no sense.  
 

Maybe something involving a third team like:

KC gets OF Jarren Duran

Washington gets C Carter Jensen, SP David Shields

Boston gets SP Mackenzie Gore

 

That work?

[moonslav59]

57 minutes ago, notin said:

Contreras is a downgrade in talent?  Our leader in games played at 1b last year was ABRAHAM TORO.

I guess one could view Contreras and his near .790 OPS and about the same as Lowe's .790 OPS.

I see Contreras as a very significant addition, and a solid solution to the 1B position that has been an issue, whenever Casas has been hurt, which has been more often than not. Before Casas, we were dealing with Dalbec, Chavis and god knows who else.

Now, we need a 3Bman or 2Bman. It has to be an impact player. I like Donovan, but I don't see him as a major get, and I'd rather have Mayer/Romy at 2B than 3B, unless we get a major 2Bman like KMarte or Bichette.

[notin]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I guess one could view Contreras and his near .790 OPS and about the same as Lowe's .790 OPS.

I see Contreras as a very significant addition, and a solid solution to the 1B position that has been an issue, whenever Casas has been hurt, which has been more often than not. Before Casas, we were dealing with Dalbec, Chavis and god knows who else.

Now, we need a 3Bman or 2Bman. It has to be an impact player. I like Donovan, but I don't see him as a major get, and I'd rather have Mayer/Romy at 2B than 3B, unless we get a major 2Bman like KMarte or Bichette.

Sure, if Contreras only gets 120 plate appearances.

Donovan is very popular for a reason.   Hes a .280/.360 hitter, which makes him an on base upgrade over Duran.  I’d gladly take him and I’m not sure why anyone would be hesitant, beyond holding out for Marte…

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, notin said:

Getting a SP from any team interested in Duran makes no sense.  
 

Maybe something involving a third team like:

KC gets OF Jarren Duran

Washington gets C Carter Jensen, SP David Shields

Boston gets SP Mackenzie Gore

 

That work?

I'd rather have Duran than Gore. 

[notin]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I'd rather have Duran than Gore. 

On this team, I’d prefer Gore over the OF depth…

[moonslav59]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

Getting a SP from any team interested in Duran makes no sense.  
Maybe something involving a third team like:

KC gets OF Jarren Duran

Washington gets C Carter Jensen, SP David Shields

Boston gets SP Mackenzie Gore

That work?

Certainly not any decent SP'er.

We could trade Duran for Bubic and maybe Lynch or someone else.

We could trade Duran for Mitch Keller.

We could trade Duran for Singer or maybe even Lodolo.

I bet MIN takes Duran for Pablo Lopez + cash, and SEA takes him for Luis Castillo + cash.

I doubt Duran + Crawford for Ragans works either, but something like that is possible.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, notin said:

Sure, if Contreras only gets 120 plate appearances.

I think the thought was that Contreras is not a big improvement over the end of year Sox 1Bman. It's not how I see it, but I only stated how others might see it.

I would not project bringing back N Lowe would net us a .790 1B OPS in 2026, so I see Contreras an improvement over Lowe and a major improvement over Toro and the others not named Romy in 2025.