The Kansas City Royals have been the most prominent suitor for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran for most of this winter.
Dating back to mid-November, when the Royals’ offseason pursuit of Duran first became clear, there hasn’t been a lot of movement apart from periodic updates on how neither side was budging. And on Tuesday, we got the most concrete update yet.
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And perhaps not shockingly, it doesn’t seem as though a deal between Boston and Kansas City is suddenly close to materializing, especially given what the Red Sox seem to be demanding on their end.
Red Sox want the world for Duran
According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Red Sox have demanded starting pitcher Cole Ragans, the Royals’ ace when healthy, in talks for Duran. That notion had been strongly hinted at by Rogers and other reporters throughout the winter, but not necessarily confirmed.
Rogers also reported that talks between the two sides had stalled as of Tuesday.
“The Royals would like to add one more bat, and a trade remains the best path to do so,” Rogers wrote. “But the likelihood of that remains to be seen. There is interest in Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, but the asking price — starting pitcher Cole Ragans — is simply too high for the Royals, and talks have stalled.”
It’s easy to see where both sides are coming from here. The Royals see Duran as a very good, but perhaps not All-Star caliber player, and given how important starting pitching is these days, giving up Ragans is too rich a price to pay when both players are under control for three more years.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have little use for any of the Royals’ other starting pitchers, especially if there are any lingering concerns about Kris Bubic’s rotator cuff. And Boston wants to contend for the playoffs, so there’s no reason to give up Duran for prospects.
It’s not impossible at this point that a deal could come to be, but the two teams have never truly seemed to line up, as much as Duran is expendable on one side and fits the exact needs of the other.
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