Jarren Duran signs a 1-year contract with the Red Sox with a club option

Jarren Duran was one of the American League’s top players during the 2024 season and on Friday, the 28-year-old outfielder was financially rewarded for his performance.

The Red Sox announced they have agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with a club option for 2026 with Duran, a first-year arbitration-eligible player who had not previously agreed to terms before the Jan. 9 deadline. A source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that Duran will be paid $3.75 million this year, with a $100,000 buyout on the option worth $8 million.

The club did not disclose the terms of the agreement, which also includes incentives. Duran’s 2026 option has escalators based on AL MVP Award finishes and/or an All-MLB finish, and he could earn up to $150,000 in performance bonuses in 1925, a source told Feinsand.

Boston no longer has any players eligible for salary arbitration and will therefore forego a hearing.

Duran experienced a breakthrough in 2024 when he finished eighth in the AL MVP voting. The ’18 seventh-round draft pick led the majors in doubles (48) and tied for the MLB lead in triples (14) while hitting .285 with 21 home runs, 75 RBIs and an OPS in 160 games of .834 scored. His 8.7 bWAR ranked fifth in the majors and fourth in the AL.

Thanks to this offensive performance as the Red Sox’s everyday leadoff hitter – and the strong outfield defense that accompanied it, including 12 assists – Duran was named to the All-MLB second team.

Before last season, Duran had started to show signs of his potential during his big league career, which began in 2021. His best performance to date came in 1923, when he posted a .295 OPS with an .828 OPS in 102 games. In 1924 he took another big step forward.

Last July, Duran became the first Red Sox player to hit a home run in the All-Star Game since Adrián González in 2011. He hit the game-winning two-run home run in the AL’s 5-3 victory at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Duran became the fifth Boston player to win MVP honors at the Midsummer Classic, joining Carl Yastrzemski (1970), Roger Clemens (’86), Pedro Martinez (’99) and JD Drew (2008).

In 2025, Duran will attempt to lead Boston to the postseason for the first time since 1921. He has never appeared in a playoff game during his four-year big league career, but that could change next season as the Sox look to compete in the AL East.

Duran was the fourth and final AR-eligible player on the Red Sox roster to agree to the terms. They avoided arbitration last week with left-hander Garrett Crochet ($3.8 million) and right-handers Tanner Houck ($3.95 million) and Kutter Crawford ($2.75 million).