Red Sox reportedly not trading Justin Turner; Adam Duvall drawing interest from Phillies
The Red Sox' unwillingness to trade Turner could be a sign that they're unlikely to be sellers at the deadline.
With the MLB trade deadline just days away, the Red Sox are letting it known that one of their top players isn’t available.
The Red Sox have told inquiring teams that they have no interest in trading Justin Turner, WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported.
If the Red Sox opted to become sellers, Turner was widely viewed as a possible candidate to be moved. The reliable hitting corner infielder is on a relatively smaller salary for 2023 ($8.3 million), with a player option for next season, making him a realistic candidate to be moved.
But Boston’s turned around its season in July. That not only ended any ideas of it being sellers, but also opened the possibility of it being a buyer ahead of Aug. 1. The Red Sox have gone an MLB-best 15-5 in July, helping them get to just 1.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League entering Saturday.
Turner’s been a big reason for that. He’s hit .286 with a .832 OPS and 16 homers this season. In July, though, Tunrner’s hit .342 with a .987 OPS plus four homers and 23 RBIs, continuing the trend of his batting average and OPS getting better with each month.
Turner has also been credited as being the vocal leader of the Red Sox. Alex Cora told reporters in June that he’s been “a good influence on the kids.” That leadership role could be even more important for Turner and the Red Sox after they traded Kiké Hernández, who was Turner’s closest friend on the team.
The other veterans on the Red Sox that have been often pointed as potential players on the move are James Paxton and Adam Duvall. Paxton’s had a strong comeback year in 2023 (6-2, 3.46 ERA) and with his relatively small salary on an expiring contract, he could get the Red Sox a good haul if they traded him. But Paxton recently indicated he’s focused on playing with the Red Sox as there haven’t been reports strongly linking him with any teams.
As for Duvall, he could be part of the Red Sox’ outfield crunch and one National League contender is interested in him, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
“The Red Sox, they are trying to maintain being competitive this year while also having an eye towards next year, which is why I think they end up moving free-agents-to-be,” Murray said on “The Baseball Insiders” podcast. “An Adam Duvall type makes a whole lot of sense. Maybe they can upgrade a different part of their roster for this year and next year in a potential trade to do so.
“I know there’s quite a bit of interest in Duvall, by the way. I think he’s got a good chance of being traded. One team I’ve heard there is the Phillies that likes him a lot, but they are far from alone there.”
Duvall has hit well as of late after his initial struggles when he returned to the lineup following his wrist injury in June. He’s hit .259 with a .814 OPS plus three homers and 10 RBIs in 16 games in July.
However, the 34-year-old is on a one-year deal. With the emergence of Jarren Duran, along with Trevor Story’s imminent return, the Red Sox might not have as much of a need for the righty outfield slugger.
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