Examining Trade Possibilities Between Red Sox & Royals: Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Jarren Duran, & More

[Philip Ruo]

Image courtesy of © William Purnell-Imagn Images / © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Despite recently trading for Sonny Gray, the Red Sox still have notable holes in their rotation. Both Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will be returning from long-term injuries, and Tanner Houck is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. There have been many reports that the Red Sox and Royals have explored trades that would include sending a starting pitcher to Boston and an outfielder to Kansas City. Most recently, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported the following after meeting with Royals GM J.J. Picollo.

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Our starting pitching, we have some depth there,” Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo tells Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “A lot of teams are looking for starting pitching, so if we have what they may be interested in, and they have an outfielder that would be of interest, then there’s potentially the opportunity to make a deal.” Speier notes that the Royals had interest in Jarren Duran of the Red Sox prior to the trade deadline.

Is anyone, including left-hander Cole Ragans, off limits? “I wouldn’t say off limits,” said Picollo, who noted that the Royals were reluctant to deal either Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha after the two veteran righthnders committed to them via free agency. “There would have to be a really big return for one [starter] in particular.” That starter, of course, is Ragans. Though the Royals would prefer a righthanded-hitting outfielder, they won’t be tethered to the notion — making their considerable interest in Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran at the trade deadline notable …

Let’s do a deep dive into who could potentially move to Kansas City, how they would fit, and what it might take to bring them to Kansas City.

Top Potential Trade Targets

Jarren Duran
Duran has been the name most often mentioned in trade talks. He would slot perfectly into the top of the lineup, and having Duran and Witt batting one and two, respectively, would be among the most dynamic in baseball to watch. Duran has accumulated over 15 fWAR in his last three seasons, led the American League in triples the past 2 seasons, led the league in doubles in 2024, and was six behind the leader, Bobby Witt Jr., in 2025. His .332 OBP from last season would rank fourth in the Royals roster, better than Jonathan India’s OBP of .323, who the Royals acquired last offseason for his on-base abilities. Duran would also be a clear upgrade to the Royals’ outfield production. Based on Fangraph’s projections, Duran’s projected fWAR of 2.6 is just one shy of the Royals’ entire outfield projected fWAR of 3.6. 

Masataka Yoshida
Yoshida has been primarily a designated hitter in his time in Boston, but has still played some outfield in recent years. In his first three seasons in Boston, his production dropped noticeably compared to his time playing in Japan. His defense will not provide an upgrade in Kansas City. When playing the field in 2023, his Fielding Run Value was -11.

In 2023 and 2024, his offensive production was well above league-average with a wRC+ over 110 and a wOBA over .330. His production in 2025 dipped, but he missed the first 90 games of the season recovering from a shoulder injury. If the Royals trade for him, they will hope that he can return to his pre-injury form. 

There is also the issue of money. Yoshida is owed $18.6 million in each of his next two seasons before becoming a free agent. That salary would make him the third-highest earner next year behind only Bobby Witt Jr. and Seth Lugo. While the Royals are not necessarily opposed to committing that amount to one player, that salary could be prohibitive for adding other talent to the roster.

Jhostynxon Garcia
Garcia had a very brief cameo in the majors. He has had a lot of success in the minor leagues, posting an OPS of at least .810 in 2024 and 2025. He could be an intriguing option for the Royals, but he might not be the impact bat that could help the Royals in the immediate future. If included in a trade,

Outfielders Less Likely To Be Involved

Wilyer Abreu
Abreu has been a valuable contributor to the Red Sox. One issue with Abreu is that he has been shielded from starting against left-handed pitchers. Since the Royals are also in search of a platoon partner for Jac Caglianone, Abreu is less likely to be a fit in Kansas City. 

Ceddanne Rafaela 
Rafaela is a defense-first center fielder. While his offense was decent in 2025, the Royals will be looking for more power in the outfield. His 95 OPS+ from last season would be an improvement over most of the Royals' outfielders, but ideally, they are adding an above-average bat to boost their lineup.

Roman Anthony
Anthony finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting while appearing in only 71 games. The Red Sox already signed him to an extension, so if there were a player who was considered untouchable, it would be him. 

Kristian Campbell
Campbell spent most of his season at second base before being optioned to Worcester in June. With his role on the Boston roster uncertain heading into next season, Kansas City would be assuming risk by acquiring him with the expectation of making an immediate impact. He also received an extension last season, so despite his struggles, that makes a move less likely. 

Trade Scenarios

Below are three different trade scenarios involving Royals pitching and a Red Sox outfielder. 

1. Blockbuster Trade
Red Sox receive:

• SP Cole Ragans

Royals receive:

• OF Jarren Duran
• OF Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 2 Boston prospect)
• SP John Holobetz (outside of the top 20)

This trade would receive a lot of comparisons to last year’s trade for Garret Crochet from the White Sox. Crochet was traded in exchange for four prospects, two of whom were in MLB.com’s top 100 prospects at the time. Unlike Crochet, Ragans has three seasons left until free agency, which is enough to yield a bigger haul for Kansas City. Ragans and Corchet profile similarly in their first few seasons, both producing high strikeout rates and low walk rates. Below is a comparison between Ragans's career and Crochet's career before getting traded to Boston.

This trade return is headlined by Duran and Garcia, both of whom help Kansas City solve issues in their lineup. Duran adds an impactful bat to the top of the lineup to pair with Bobby Witt Jr. Garcia, while maybe not quite ready to be playing every day, could be an option for a short-side platoon partner for Caglianone in right field. This could be a good way to ease Garcia into a major league lineup, but only against left-handed pitchers. 

The inclusion of Holobetz is mostly about adding more value to the trade and adding a pitching option for the future in Kansas City. According to MLB.com’s prospects list, his ETA for the major leagues is 2027. Assuming that there are no other trades that send away pitchers, the Royals will still have plenty of major league depth in their rotation.

2. Major Trade
Red Sox receive:

• SP Noah Cameron
• C Blake Mitchell (#2 Royals prospect)
• SP Steven Zobac (#15 prospect)

Royals receive:

• OF Jarren Duran

This trade is headlined by Duran and Cameron. The Royals would be capitalizing on Caermon’s excellent rookie campaign and would be hoping to “trade high” on him. Cameron finished 4th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and has five years of control left. He may not be the big arm in the rotation that the Red Sox would be looking for long-term, but he would be a solid arm in their rotation for years to come.

The Royals would also be dealing from another position of strength, catcher depth. With the emergence of Carter Jensen on the MLB roster last season and Salvador Perez being ever-present in the Royals lineup (and signing a contract extension), Mitchell does not have an easy path to gametime at the MLB level. The Red Sox adding him would not require them to move on from either Connor Wong or Carlos Narvaez, but it would give them flexibility moving forward at the catcher position. 

Zobac is on the 40-man roster and could potentially see major league action despite his struggles last year. He could maybe contribute by bolstering the Red Sox in the bullpen.

3. Minor Trade
Red Sox receive:

• SP Kris Bubic

Royals receive:

• OF Masataka Yoshida
• OF Miguel Bleis (No. 14 Boston prospect)

This trade would leave each team a little disappointed, given how much smoke there has been regarding trades this offseason, but this would leave each team slightly better off. Yoshida would provide a bat to the Royals' outfield, with some time as a designated hitter, and they could get a return for Bubic instead of letting him walk in free agency. The Red Sox would add an all-star caliber pitcher to their rotation and free up salary space to pursue one of the big bats in free agency. 

The inclusion of Bleis adds a high-upside outfielder who has also suffered many injury setbacks in his career. His speed and defense would profile well for Kauffman Stadium's large outfield eventually.

Interested in reading this situation from the Red Sox perspective? We have a complementary piece on our Red Sox site!

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