The Red Sox bullpen was one of the worst in baseball last season, with Boston relievers blowing 31 saves, second only to the Chicago White Sox, who blew 37 while losing a record 121 games. Improving the bullpen is a top priority for Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief of baseball operations, and he’s targeting power pitchers to help address the issue.
“Players who can generate swings and misses, whether through high velocity or dominant breaking balls, are key, especially in the postseason. So we’re focused on adding some raw stuff,” Breslow explained at the start of the offseason.
The Red Sox have already signed veteran Aroldis Chapman, who was still hitting over 105 mph at age 36 in 2024. Now, a new trade proposal has emerged, suggesting Boston acquire another 105 mph bullpen arm: Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins.
The idea was introduced on the WEEI-affiliated Red Sox podcast “Play Tessie” by host Nat Gordon, who proposed sending homer-prone right-handed starter Kutter Crawford to the Twins in exchange for Duran. Gordon also suggested the Twins include catcher Christian Vazquez, a former Red Sox player drafted in 2008 and a key part of their 2018 World Series-winning team.
For the Twins, the trade would be motivated primarily by financial considerations. With a payroll ranking in the bottom tier of MLB — 20th in 2024 — moving the $10 million still owed to Vazquez and avoiding likely significant arbitration costs for Duran in 2025 and 2026 would help keep their roster around $120 million.
The podcast hosts also proposed that the Red Sox contribute $5 million to the deal, along with Crawford — who gave up an MLB-worst 34 home runs in 2024 — to help offset Crawford’s salary, which is expected to be around $5 million after earning $3.85 million last season.
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