Happy Saturday all! Hope you’re weekend has gotten off to a good start so far. This morning we’re taking a peak at what was the final remaining piece from the ill-fated Sean Murphy trade. Stemming from the ‘trade
tree’ from the Murphy deal, we look back on the short stint that right-hander Carlos Duran had with the A’s this past year.
How was he acquired?
Former speedy center fielder Esteury Ruiz had fallen out of favor with the Athletics after a lost 2024 season. Following his promising rookie year his sophomore campaign saw him begin the year in the minor leagues (in part to critical comments about the A’s relocation), a horrid start to the year at the plate and then an injury to his wrist.
A player that was just a couple of seasons removed from being the centerpiece of a massive trade involving an All-Star catcher and setting the AL rookie stolen base record was on the outs, and the A’s had no desire to just release him. Looking to recoup at least some value for Ruiz, the Athletics on April 2nd traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handed prospect Carlos Duran.
What were the expectations?
When he was acquired there was an acknowledgement that the A’s more or less had to take whatever they could in exchange for Ruiz. No one expected to get any notable prospect in exchange for a player they were close to releasing. Then 23, Duran arrived to the Athletics’ organization generally ranked among the Dodgers’ top-30 prospects, which actually isn’t horrible considering their strong farm system. Still, most had little to know idea of what to expect. He had a recent Tommy John surgery on his ledgers, and the scouting reports and track record didn’t indicate something more under the hood. Duran was the definition of ‘pitching depth’.
2025 Results
Duran only made one start for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team before the trade. Once he arrived to the A’s they gave him one start but that went horribly and the decision was made to shift the righty to full-time relief. He didn’t take to his new role especially fast as he allowed eight runs over his first eight relief appearances.
That didn’t stop the pitching-starved A’s from promoting the right-hander to the major leagues for the very first time in his career. After a two-day promotion during which he didn’t make the field, Duran got his second promotion on May 22nd and he’d make his big-league debut that same night. It… did not go well. Duran entered the top of the ninth in a blowout loss to the Angels and surrendered a hit plus three walks, one of which brought a run home. He’d allowed three runs while getting just one out and got pulled for Hogan Harris to finish the frame.
Duran was optioned back to Triple-A the next day and that’s where he spent the rest of the season. It took him a while but Duran did eventually seem to adapt to his new and unfamiliar role as the minor league season continued. He’d finish the second half with a 3.21 in 28 1/3 frames over 19 appearances out of the Aviators’ bullpen, though he continued to walk batters nearly as much as he struck them out.
2026 Outlook
Once the season came to a close Duran had the option to elect free agency and test the market for the first time in his career. That’s just what he did as he exercised that right on November 6th. There he currenty remains, waiting and thinking about his next destination and opportunities. Who knows? Maybe that comes with the A’s. He’ll be 24 this coming season and you can never have too much pitching. Maybe another year in relief will help Duran take a step forward in his development and the A’s could be one of the teams that could provide that opportunity for him. We’ll just have to wait and see.
