The Red Sox announced they have agreed to a one-year contract with the outfielder Jalen Duran 2026 season. MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith reports that Duran will earn $7.7MM through 2026, plus a $75K bonus.
Technically, the move counts as an arbitration-avoiding signing, as Duran is under arbitration control until 2028, although the Red Sox signed him to a one-year contract last winter that included a club option for $8MM for 2026. Boston has now declined that option, paying Duran a $100,000 buyout before signing this new deal that will ultimately save the club some money. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports that Duran will receive a $25,000 bonus if he reaches 450 plate appearances, and then $25,000 for each 500-PA and 550-PA threshold he reaches.
MLB Trade Rumors’ Matt Swartz projects Duran’s salary in his second winter of arbitration eligibility to be $8.4MM, but with Boston’s club option, a hearing seems unlikely. Duran is a Super Two player and therefore has four arbitration years instead of the usual three, so if he continues to produce solid results, he should continue to receive a significant raise during the arbitration years.
Duran is hitting .256/.332/.442 with 16 home runs and 24 steals in 696 PA this season and leads the American League with 13 triples. While 111 wRC+ and 3.9 fWAR are very respectable, it does represent a significant regression from the 131 wRC+ and 6.8 fWAR Duran posted in 2024.
Aside from his on-field production, the most notable aspect of Tulane’s 2025 campaign is the trade rumors that have followed the outfielder for years. and Roman Anthony After becoming a force in his rookie year, there was more speculation that the Red Sox might use their outfield surplus to make a trade (i.e. Duran, Villier Abreuor maybe Saidan Rafaela) to meet other roster needs and possibly start pitching. The existence of a club option means the Red Sox will likely have to reach some sort of resolution on Duran’s 2026 salary relatively quickly, but this early settlement could also be a hint that the Sox want to iron out some wrinkles before any upcoming trade talks.
