Multiple insiders pour cold water on potential Royals deal for dream trade target

After Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Kansas City Royals could be interested in swinging a deal for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, it appears this dream may not become reality for the Royals.

According to multiple insiders, it seems less likely that Red Sox explore trading their former All-Star this summer, meaning the Royals will have to go back to the drawing board, after already reportedly switching gears from one of their original outfield targets in Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds.

Multiple insiders pour cold water on Jarren Duran trade deadline rumors

On Friday, Sean McAdam of Mass Live reported that a deal between the Red Sox and the San Diego Padres centered around Jarren Duran and Friars starter Dylan Cease was nixed by the Sox.

"The Padres, in their never-ending quest to acquire Duran, proposed a package involving Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another prospect (not shortstop Leo de Vries) for Duran, which was quickly rejected," McAdam wrote.

McAdam also wrote that a deal for Duran in general may not be achievable for interested parties, as Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office seem reluctant to sell him at the moment with the team looking to stay competitive in the AL Wild Card scene.

"Trading Duran for two top prospects doesn't help them at all over the next few months," he wrote. "The Sox want immediate help, and if it behooves them to wait until the winter meetings to execute that trade, they can afford to wait."

This comes on the heels of both Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Jeff Passan of ESPN reporting earlier in the week that Red Sox could forgo a big move for Duran, or as Passan went even further - a big move at all.

"At this moment, the Red Sox are not inclined to engage in any large-scale deadline moves," Passan wrote. "Craig Breslow has said the team wants to add after trading [Rafael] Devers."

This certainly axes that potential dream trade combination between Boston and Kansas City that Rosenthal mentioned. And what a dream fit it could have been, as Duran would immediately slot into the top half of the order as their top outfield option in a team that's starving for consistent outfield production.

Even in a down year, the former All-Star would be leaps and bounds better than the production that the Royals group of outfielders has given them this season.

Kansas City may have the Cy Young caliber arm that Cease can be - in Seth Lugo - to match a Padres deal, but Cease at 29 will always have the upper hand over Lugo at 35, even if both are rentals and Lugo has arguably been the better performing arm in the past two seasons.

Then there's the matter of prospects, and while the Royals have Top 100 catching prospect of their own - Blake Mitchell (Pipeline's No. 28 prospect) and Carter Jensen (Pipeline's No. 68 prospect) - they aren't quite at the level of Ethan Salas (Pipeline's No. 21 prospect) has been.

So, if a deal around Cease and Salas was swiftly rejected, the Royals would have to give up a king's ransom it would seem to even get Boston to the table. And considering Kansas City is looking to compete for a Wild Card spot just as much as Boston is, it may not be worth the time - even if a future outfield built around Jarren Duran and young phenom Jac Caglianone for the next three seasons is an exciting thought.

As frustrating as it is, the Royals will have to go back to square one once again if they're truly looking to make a splash in the outfield.