Red Sox Rumors: Braves Interested in Adam Duvall Trade; Would Be 3rd Stint in ATL
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Boston Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall could be on the move this summer.
The Atlanta Braves “are said to have some interest” in a reunion with Duvall ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
Boston signed Duvall to a one-year, $7 million contract ahead of the 2022 campaign and he’s put together a solid season for the Red Sox despite missing time with a fractured wrist earlier this year.
In 39 games, Duvall is slashing .257/.320/.515 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and four stolen bases.
While the 34-year-old has been productive, the Red Sox have an already strong outfield with Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran. Furthermore, Boston has Rob Refsnyder and Enrique Hernández available to play in the outfield, making Duvall expendable.
With Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Sunday that the club is looking to add a starting pitcher ahead of the deadline, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
It’s possible the Red Sox could include Duvall in a package for a starting pitcher, though it’s unclear if the Braves—first in the National League East with a 64-34 record—are open to moving any of their starters this summer with significant World Series aspirations.
Duvall, for one, is hoping he doesn’t get moved, per McAdam:
“It’s never easy. You’ve got to pick your family up and move and find a place. You’re starting the season all over again. I know that it’s not easy. (No matter how often it’s happened), I don’t know that you be prepared for it, because I’m trying to stay mentally focused on where I’m at right now that I don’t even let myself go to, ‘OK, well if this were to happen…’ I don’t even go there.
“It’ll be a surprise to me if something happens. I really like this group of guys.”
The Red Sox sit fourth in the American League East—arguably the best division in baseball—with a 53-47 record, 8.5 games back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles and just two games back of a wild card spot.
With Boston in contention for a postseason spot, it’ll be interesting to see how Bloom upgrades his roster to put the Red Sox in a better position to contend for a title for the first time since 2018.
