A good portion of Boston Red Sox fans have long been proponents of a Jarren Duran trade. At this year's deadline, there's good and bad news for those folks.The good news? The Red Sox are almost forced into selling mode, which makes a Duran deal more palatable in theory. The bad news? Duran has never played worse, and the Red Sox could be de-incentivized to trade him in six weeks if he doesn't pick up the pace. Insider Mark Feinsand's latest Duran pulse checkJun 19, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a foul in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn ImagesOn Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote a piece about the Red Sox's top five trade candidates, and although he didn't necessarily report anyting about Duran, he indicated a low likelihood that the 29-year-old outfielder wouldn't be dealt. "The problem? Duran is having a pedestrian season," Feinsand wrote. "What could Boston get back for the 2024 All-Star Game MVP? Would the return be worth it? The more likely scenario is for the Red Sox to hold Duran for the rest of this year, hope he has a strong second half to regain some value, then look to move him in the offseason." Pedestrian hardly covers Duran's month of June. He's batting .143 with a .422 OPS across 80 plate appearacnes this month (as of Thursday). He was benched against left-hander Kyle Freeland on Wednesday, and his .199 season batting average ranked fourth-worst among qualified hitters. It's a real conundrum at this point. The Red Sox should want a good opportunity to trade Duran. But they've continually shown, over the last two seasons, that they'll overvalue him in comparison to other teams' front offices. Holding on Duran at the deadline could be the right move if he rebounds for the final two months. Maybe he winds up around a similar slash line that he finished with last year, which makees him a semi-desirable target in the offseason. But what if he stays ice cold?At full strength, the Red Sox's roster probably works best without Duran. That's assuming Roman Anthony gets healthy again at some point, of course. But Duran's durability is one notable plus -- he's been able to carry the offense at times when Anthony and Wilyer Abreu have been hurt.We wish there was a more satisfying conclusion to take away. But all we can really land on is... it's complicated. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow