Padres once again tabbed as best trade fit for Red Sox All-Star outfielder

May 31, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are sitting a ways back from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, sitting 8.0 games back in the division halfway through June.

The Padres need to add some help to the roster, and especially on offense, with their big stars all struggling right now. One area worth upgrading this summer by the August 3 trade deadline is the outfield.

With such a need in mind, it should come as little surprise that, once again, the Padres are tabbed as one of the best fits in a trade for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, this time by The Athletic's Jim Bowden.

Padres once again linked to trade for Jarren Duran

"I think the Red Sox best fit with the Phillies or Padres on Duran," Bowden writes on a potential Duran trade this summer.

While the Philadelphia Phillies being such a strong fit for Duran might pose a problem for the Padres, since the Phillies need a right-handed hitting outfielder, and Duran is a lefty, the Padres' path to adding Duran looks to be fairly clear.

Boston is free-falling this season and looks to be heading towards the deadline as a seller. While not everyone will be dealt, Duran makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox to trade this summer.

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If they do trade Duran, the former All-Star Game MVP who has a .211 batting average with 11 homers, 1.0 bWAR, and a .655 OPS this season, the Padres are a natural landing spot for the second year in a row.

While Duran might not be having a great 2026 season, he's been a bit better lately, as since May 1, he has a .762 OPS with 10 homers and 25 RBIs.

A.J. Preller is very likely to pull off a trade or two in the coming month and a half, as the Padres try to make a push for a deep postseason run this year.

Duran might not be as appealing as he was this time last year, but he still is a great fit with the Padres, as they could use him as an upgrade in left field.

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