The San Diego Padres already boast one of the strongest lineups in baseball, but they may need additional firepower to keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race.
With stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill anchoring the offense, the Padres still have room to upgrade, particularly in left field.
One potential solution could be a trade with the Boston Red Sox for left fielder Jarren Duran, a player San Diego reportedly showed interest in during the 2025 trade deadline.
Duran, who signed a $7.7 million arbitration-avoiding contract this offseason and remains under team control through 2028, brings valuable speed and power despite experiencing some offensive inconsistency in 2025 after earning All-Star Game MVP honors in 2024.
Although the Red Sox would likely demand significant return value for the durable outfielder — who has missed only a handful of games over the past two seasons — the Padres have been among the league’s most aggressive teams on the trade market, making a 2026 blockbuster move a real possibility.
