I would steer clear of Duran. He will command a huge return in a trade. His value is heavily dependent on him being able to man center. How long can he really be expected to do so? He was a late bloomer. He is already 29. He was around a league average centerfielder in 2024. Moving to left last year he was slightly below average. Offensively, he does a lot of things well, but does not possess any exceptional tools. The profile is great for center, but only slightly above average for left. If he loses a step as he enters his 30s his value craters very quickly. Jett Williams and Benge both have higher ceilings in my opinion. Both could supplant Duran in value pretty quickly. Don’t get me wrong, Duran is a surer bet than the unproven Jett or Carson. In a vacuum, I’d love to have him on the 2026 Mets. However, I don’t want to send three top 10 prospects for somebody with the red flags I see in Duran. If you are going to part with blue chip prospects it should be to land a superstar. If Duran were 25-26, I could believe he might reach that pinnacle. At 29, I think we are more likely to see a progressive decline in his value.

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