Jarren Duran Explains How He's MLB's 'Worst Player', Expected Red Sox Release at Trade Deadline

Amid the flurry of deals made by the Boston Red Sox leading up to the trade deadline, Jarren Duran was not expecting to remain with the club after Monday.

Speaking to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Duran called himself the "worst player in MLB statistically" and expected he was going to be released by the Red Sox to make room on the roster for their new acquisitions:

"To be honest, I thought I was going to be released… I am the worst player in MLB statistically. I hate looking at the numbers but when you're going bad, you look at the numbers and it was pretty obvious how bad I was. I thought I was going to be released… I'm just thankful that I have the opportunity to continue this run with this team and this organization, and hopefully make a playoff push."

It's a little bit of an exaggeration to say Duran is statistically the worst player in MLB right now. His .203/.259/.354 slash line isn't great, but his fWAR of 0.2 is only 136th out of 147 qualified position players.

The Red Sox dealt for Adley Rutschman, Erik Miller and Eli White on Monday. Those moves came on the heels of trading for Curtis Mead, who is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks after breaking his wrist in his first game with Boston.

White's acquisition would be most relevant to Duran's status since he's also an outfielder, though hardly an obvious everyday starter thanks to a .285 on-base percentage in 69 games with the Atlanta Braves before the trade.

There is also the question of Roman Anthony's health that also gave Duran some semblance of job security despite the trades. Anthony has been out of action since May 4 due to a torn finger tendon, but he is making progress in his rehab to the point that he took batting practice on Tuesday.

Even though there were trade rumblings about Duran throughout the summer, ESPN's Jeff Passan noted in June there was a "steep" difference in how he was viewed by the Red Sox compared to other teams.

That level of confidence from Boston helps explain why Duran remains an everyday player despite describing himself as the worst player in MLB.

Another explanation is that the Red Sox have seen an extremely high level of performance from Duran not that long ago. He finished eighth in AL MVP voting in 2024 after hitting .285/.342/.492 in 160 games.

Even last season saw Duran hit a respectable .256/.332/.442 in 157 games. He is only 29 and under team control for two more years, so it's not a surprise the Red Sox would want to give him every opportunity to get back on track.

Given Boston's recent surge up the standings, it could be more difficult for interim manager Chad Tracy to continue relying on Duran because the team has to put the best lineup on the field while making a push for the playoffs.