In the middle of what has to be a difficult stretch, both personally and professionally, Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran opened up.
In an hour-long interview with the “Section 10 Podcast,” Duran dished on what playing for a mediocre Red Sox team has been like for several seasons, his recent poor performance on the field and rumors he could be traded, mental health struggles, and much more.
It’s a fascinating look into the All-Star’s ups and downs, and the whole thing is definitely worth the listen.
But the storyline hanging over the Red Sox’s season like a dark cloud these days is the Rafael Devers trade. Boston is 3-6 since trading its best hitter to the San Francisco Giants over off-field issues and his expensive (kinda) contract, and they’re currently riding a five-game losing streak.
Duran discussed the team’s mentality after the Devers trade and tried to dispel the notions some fans had that the team was either too nonchalant about the trade or showing its contempt for Devers by keeping things positive in clubhouse interviews.
“I feel like people wanted us to dwell on it, but it’s like, what is that gonna do? It’s not gonna bring him back,” Duran said. “People were like, ‘Oh, maybe they didn’t like Raffy,’ or ‘maybe they didn’t care,’ stuff like that, I’m like, ‘No!’ But what’s crying about it gonna do? It’s not going to bring him back.”
“We don’t have that luxury to be upset about it, because I’ve gotta go out and win a game the next day, with or without Raffy. We were always a pretty close group, and I think these people getting upset about it has obviously made us closer, cause now it’s like, ‘They think we’re gonna suck without Raffy? We have to go prove them wrong now.'”
Duran also gave an enthusiastic response when asked about how his personal relationship with Devers had been.
“It was good! I loved Raffy. I still love him. It was always funny to see him smiling and laughing like a kid,” Duran said.
Duran and the Red Sox might miss having Devers in the clubhouse, or they might not. There will always be debate about the circumstances of the trade. But Devers is gone now, and Duran knows he has to be a big part of the solution.
That is, if the Red Sox front office deems him worthy of keeping around.
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