CHICAGO — The Philadelphia Phillies, for weeks, had designs on acquiring a hard-throwing, shutdown closer. They did not hide their intentions.
And, with about 24 hours before Thursday’s MLB trade deadline, they found their man in Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins.
They have acquired Duran in what would be president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s biggest trade-deadline acquisition since assuming control of the club’s operation in 2021.
The prospect cost was substantial, with starter Mick Abel, 23, and catching prospect Eduardo Tait, 18, going to the Twins.
A fan-favorite whose fastball previously reached 104.5 mph and averaged 101.8 mph in 2023, Duran is producing another stellar season despite reduced velocity.
Duran’s four-seam fastball is averaging a career-low 100.3 mph, which has some concerned his elbow will one day blow out. He pairs it with a 97.6 mph splinker, a combined split-finger fastball/sinker that hitters can’t do much with. With a plus-9 run value, Duran’s splinker is among the most effective pitches in baseball.
He also throws an above-average curveball, and this season he began to add in a sweeper. The combination has led to opponents producing a career low .546 OPS against Duran, who has rebounded after struggling last year when an oblique injury in spring training wrecked the early part of his season.
The right-hander knew he was on the trading block and acknowledged the likelihood of being dealt about an hour before news of the deal broke.
“That’d be hard,” Duran said. “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.”
Not only has Duran converted 89 percent of his career save opportunities, but he’s also flourished in the postseason, striking out six over five scoreless innings in 2023. Duran is under club control through 2027.
Tait, who does not turn 19 until August, is regarded as a bat-first catcher who needs defensive refinement. He was promoted to High-A Jersey Shore on July 18 after slashing .251/.322/.436 with a .758 OPS in 332 plate appearances at Low A this season. Tait hits the ball hard and has enticed rival evaluators ever since coming stateside in 2024. He’s years away from the majors, but catching prospects are valuable.
Abel had one of the best debuts in Phillies history on May 18, striking out nine while giving up five hits through six innings. It was the highlight of a remarkable turnaround for the rookie pitcher, who posted a 6.46 ERA in Triple A in 2024 while struggling with command and averaging 6.5 walks per nine innings.
However, this season, Abel has logged a 2.31 ERA over 13 starts in Triple A while averaging 3.89 walks per nine innings. In his last start with the organization on July 25, Abel’s ERA ballooned from 1.83 to 2.31 as he gave up five runs and seven hits while walking three. He also posted a 5.04 ERA in six starts for the Phillies.
The improvement comes after an offseason of closely working with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham, in which Abel emphasized “little wins” and getting back to himself after feeling he’d become too much of a sponge during his time in the minor leagues.
“He just looks calm,” Cotham said before Abel’s debut in May. “He looks electric. He looks intense. But he looks like he’s enjoying his pitching. He’s pitching free, and he’s got an edge to him — knowing he doesn’t have to make perfect pitches to have good outcomes.”
After a spot-start debut, Abel returned to Triple A for two outings before rejoining the Phillies rotation on June 4. He had a few solid appearances before his command regressed, giving up four solo homers in three innings against the New York Mets on June 21 and walking five batters in 1 2/3 innings against the San Diego Padres on July 2. The latter was his final start with the Phillies, as Abel was returned to Triple A the next day.
Jhoan Duran ranked No. 6 on the Big Board
When Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on administrative leave earlier this week, Duran became the top relief pitcher on our Big Board. He was the second-highest ranked pitcher, period, behind teammate Joe Ryan. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez might end up being the only player ranked ahead of Duran to actually change teams.
Duran was a big fish, and he set the market for closers. But there are still a lot of worthwhile smaller fish, and plenty of teams have bait on their hooks.
Not long after the Duran deal, the Mets traded for Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. But still, Pirates closer David Bednar, Rays closer Pete Fairbanks and Royals closer Carlos Estévez also made our Big Board. There’s a chance the Padres could get creative and trade All-Star closer Robert Suarez. The Giants are reportedly getting calls on Camilo Doval. The Nationals could trade Kyle Finnegan. Some team might want to take a shot on whatever is left of Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.
There are still plenty of closers out there, but the Phillies just got the best one. — Chad Jennings
— The Athletic’s Dan Hayes contributed to this report.
(Top photo of Jhoan Duran: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
