July 30, 2025
Bruce Kluckhohn-/Imagn Images
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) throws to the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning at Target Field.
The Phillies made perhaps their biggest trade deadline move under president Dave Dombrowski, reportedly trading two top prospects to acquire Twins right-hander Jhoan Durán, one of Major League Baseball's best closers and hardest throwers.
Several insiders, including Bob Nightengale and Ken Rosenthal, were on the news:
The Philadelphia Phillies got their man. They are acquiring Minnesota Twins closer Jhoun Duran for Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel. @Ken_Rosenthal on it.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2025
Duran's fastball can top 100 mph and is the second-fastest in baseball behind Athletics closer Mason Miller. He will immediately become Phils manager Rob Thomson's best high-leverage reliever for a bullpen that's struggled all season and allows Thomson to use Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm in high-leverage setup roles.
Durán, 27, has a 2.01 ERA in 49 games and 53 strikeouts in 49.1 innings, though his 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings rate this season is the lowest of his career and lower than his career 11.2 K/9 rate. Duran, who has 16 saves this season, had 23 saves last year and 27 in 2023. He has a career 2.47 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 223 games and 233.2 innings over his four-year career, all with Minnesota.
To get him, the Phillies traded Mick Abel, a 2020 first-round pick who made his big-league debut earlier this year before going back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and catcher prospect Eduardo Tait, who has 11 homers and 57 RBIs this season playing for Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore.
Tait was the Phillies' fourth-ranked prospect per MLB.com and Abel is ranked sixth, showing the steep price Dombrowski was willing to pay for Durán, who is signed to a 1-year deal worth for just $4.125 million this season and is arbitration-eligible in 2026 and 2027.
Duran was asked about being traded by a Twins beat reporter for the The Athletic earlier in the day and didn't seem thrilled.
Jhoan Duran was asked about the possibility an hour ago: ""That’d be hard. I got a couple years here and I feel like here is my family so if that happens, that’s maybe breaking my heart a little bit." #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 30, 2025
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