Is Adam Duvall about to play his final series with the Boston Red Sox?
With Jarren Duran, Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida all enjoying excellent seasons, Duvall has emerged as a potential trade chip for Boston -- and it sounds like there's a market for the veteran outfielder.
On Thursday's episode of "The Baseball Insiders" podcast, FanSided's Robert Murray noted there's "quite a bit of interest" in Duvall ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline and named the Philadelphia Phillies as one possible suitor.
"I think he’s got a good chance of being traded," Murray said of Duvall. "One team I’ve heard there is the Phillies that likes him a lot, but they are far from alone there."
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Duvall also has been linked to the Atlanta Braves -- where he spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons and won a World Series in 2021 --while The Athletic pointed out the Los Angeles Dodgers could use an outfield bat and highlighted Duvall as "among the best on the market."
Duvall makes perfect sense as a trade candidate: While he missed two months earlier this season due to a fractured left wrist and struggled to regain his swing in June, the 34-year-old appears to be turning a corner, with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his last 15 games. He's just two seasons removed from a 38-homer, 113-RBI campaign and absolutely can be an everyday contributor for a contender.
The Red Sox in theory should be in "buy" mode at the deadline; they're just 1.5 games out of the final American League wild card spot and are eight games over .500 after sweeping the MLB-leading Braves. But Duran's emergence as a legitimate starting center fielder should give chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom the luxury of exploring a Duvall trade, perhaps seeking a pitching prospect in return given Boston's roster needs.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is plenty familiar with the Red Sox from his time in Boston and dealt Kyle Schwarber to the Sox two seasons ago, so Philadelphia is worth monitoring as Tuesday's deadline approaches.
