That was the good part. The disappointment came when after taking a one-game lead in a two-of-three wild card series over the New York Yankees, they sputtered to two straight losses — scoring only three runs over the subsequent pair of games — to see their season screech to a sudden halt.
President of baseball operations Craig Breslow outlined a potpourri of priorities for the Red Sox heading into next season, if they want to make an even better go of it, at his postseason press conference — and tops among them was a second front-line starting pitcher to follow Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet at the top of the starting rotation.
But to get that level of pitcher, the Red Sox will be required to give up a quality asset of their own, maybe even a player who has become a fan favorite over the past few seasons. According to the hosts ofthe “Locked On Red Sox” and “Locked on A’s” podcasts, in a “crossover” program Friday morning, that player would be 2024 All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran.
Duran’s output declined from his career 2024 season, with his OPS dropping from .834 to .774 and home runs from 21 to 16. Perhaps most telling for an elite speedster such as Duran, he stole 24 bases in 30 attempts compared to 34 in 41 attempts the pervious year.
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With the 29-year-old Corona, California, native due to more than double his paycheck from $3.85 million to $8 million if the Red Sox were to pick up his option, the club may be able to maximize his value more by trading him than keeping him around for a season when he’ll turn 30, hoping he can bounce back to his earlier production level.
The trade target proposed by “Locked on A’s” host Ayad “Booney” Bunni: former New York Yankee and two-time All-Star righty Luis Severino. The 31-year-old spent last season with the Athletics on the first year of his three-season, $67 million free agent contract, after a single year with the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.
“Severino is who Severino is, right? He’s a solid major league pitcher,” Bunny said in the podcast. “Middle of the rotation type of guy. He is who he is.”
But the podcaster also suggested adding a top A’s prospect to the deal: 23-year-old right-hander Braden Nett, the organization’s No. 4 prospect, who was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the deal that sent flame-throwing reliever Mason Miller to the San Diego Padres.
Would the Red Sox make the move?
“Locked on Red Sox” host Gabby Maljanian wasn’t completely sold on the idea.
“They need to get a sure thing as a No. 2 starter. And Severino, he’s a veteran. He’s a guy who has been there, done that, has the experience, which is something that the Red Sox definitely could use again with a pretty young team,” Maljanian said. “Overall, my worry would be how efficient is he going to be to the point where it would make sense for the Red Sox to slot him into their rotation every five days?”
After an eight-year Yankees career in which he win 54 games against 37 losses with a 3.79 ERA, Severino struggled somewhat with the Athletics, with a 4.54 ERA in 162 2/3 innings over 29 starts in 2025.
But with an injury-prone Lucas Giolito seemingly destined to part ways with the Red Sox in free agency, the Red Sox will need a starter of his ability to take his rotation spot, which fluctuated between Nos. 2 and 3 at varying points in the season.
The Red Sox may yet trade Duran. But whether Severino and a top pitching prospect is the return they would haven mind, only Breslow knows for sure.
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