The Boston Red Sox have come to terms on a 1 year deal with All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran to avoid arbitration the club announced.
The pact, which will be for $3.85M, includes an $8M team option for 2026, keeping Duran under team control for at least the next two MLB campaigns.
The fine print of deal features several escalator clauses for Duran’s on field performance in 2025. His option price would increase to $9M if he were to finish amongst the top 20 in MVP voting, $10M if he’s in the top 10, $11M for the top five, and $12M if he wins AL MVP. If he isn’t amongst the top 20, but is selected for a second team All-MLB, the option price would be $8.5M in 2026.
Duran could very well hit some of those clauses if he remains healthy as he finished 8th in MVP voting last year after hitting .285 with 21 homers, 75 RBIs, 34 steals, 48 doubles and 111 runs.
His breakout campaign elevated him to the role of the Red Sox’s everyday leadoff hitter. The speedy outfielder also brings plus defence to the table as he provided 12 outfield assists last year in addition to his production at the plate.
A strong regular season was complemented by a great showing at the MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. The 28 year old became the fifth Boston player to earn MVP honours at the Midsummer Classic joining the likes of Carl Yastrzemski (1970), Roger Clemens (‘86), Pedro Martinez (‘99) and J.D. Drew (2008).
Duran and the Red Sox kick off their first spring training game on February 22nd in a matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.