The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a terrific start in the first two months of the season, much to the consternation of opposing management. As the calendar turned to June, a club that many had written off in preseason polls and rankings found itself solidly in the playoff hunt.
This has prompted numerous commentators to speculate that the Cardinals may become buyers at this year’s trade deadline.
The Cardinals can improve in several categories, most notably pitching. Another legitimate starting pitcher to team up with Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore would be a great addition.
A back-end reliever might also help alleviate some of the stress that Kyle Leahy, Phil Maton, and Ryan Helsley have been experiencing lately.
The Cardinals don’t need a left-handed hitting corner outfielder, as Bleacher Report suggested in a simulated trade.
The St. Louis Cardinals sending JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews to the Boston Red Sox for Jarren Duran would be preposterous.
In a Bleacher Report article outlining ten potential trades involving Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, writer Zachary Rymer floated a proposal in which the St. Louis Cardinals would send their top two prospects, JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews, to Boston in exchange for Duran.
To provide some context, Duran is 28 years old and under team control for a little over three more seasons. His current deal includes an $8 million club option for next year, followed by two years of arbitration eligibility in 2027 and 2028. He had a breakout year last season, finishing eighth in AL MVP voting thanks to a .285/.342/.492 slash line, 21 home runs, 14 triples, 111 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. He also provided strong defense in the corner outfield.
Through 415 career games, Duran has totaled 11.2 bWAR—averaging 4.4 bWAR per 162 games—with a career line of .272/.325/.451 and an OPS+ of 112. He’s been a consistently above-average hitter and has remained healthy over the past two seasons, leading MLB in both plate appearances and at-bats in each of those years.
Duran’s sprint speed ranks in the 92nd percentile, and he’s posted solid defensive metrics, including 10 Outs Above Average in 2024. Overall, he’s a well-rounded player still in his prime, and he fits well within the Cardinals’ current competitive window.
That said, the Cardinals have been reluctant to part with their top prospects—especially players like Wetherholt and Mathews, whom the organization views as future cornerstones. Both are widely considered the team’s best prospects and are expected to debut in 2026 with the potential to contribute immediately. Trading them now would undermine the progress the club has made in drafting and development.
While the Cardinals are clearly lacking a true superstar—Nolan Arenado is declining, Brendan Donovan is solid but not elite, and Masyn Winn hasn’t fully emerged—Duran could fill that void and possibly contend for MVP honors. Still, giving up both Wetherholt and Mathews for a player with only one standout season seems like too steep a price.
