Finally, the trade deadline is heating up. The Philadelphia Phillies just landed the big fish they desperately needed. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that they are trading Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait for Twins closer Jhoan Duran.
Why Duran is the Best Possible Addition for the Phillies
The right-handed flame thrower will likely end up being the top bullpen arm traded this deadline. With the Phillies’ bullpen ranking fourth-worst in the NL (4.31 ERA), they had to land one of the top high-leverage relievers.
Duran is among the best in the business, as shown by his sub-three xERA in every year of his career. His pitch mix is made up of a splitter, four-seam fastball, curveball, and sweeper. This season, he’s struck out 53 batters over 49.1 innings with a 2.01 ERA. Overall, he generates a lot of swings and misses while also having the 99th percentile groundball rate.
For what the team lacked, Jhaon Duran is the best player the Phillies could have acquired. On top of it all, Philadelphia winning the sweepstakes for him prevents him from going to either the Dodgers or the Mets. Both teams were rumored to be going after him, and will have to settle for less talented options.
What the Twins Received
Well, it wasn’t cheap to land Duran. The Phillies parted with the number four and number six prospects in their farm system. Catcher Eduardo Tait is the 56th-ranked prospect via MLB Pipeline. He’s only 18 years old and was recently called up to High A. His strongest skill set comes at the plate, where he hits from the left side and demonstrates hit and power grades of 50 and 60. He’s a raw player and won’t make it to the big leagues for quite some time, but he has a ton of upside.
The other prospect moved in the deal is Mick Abel, who is ranked 92nd on MLB Pipeline. Abel is a right-handed starting pitcher who saw his first big league action this season. The former first-rounder has above-average grades for his fastball, curveball, and slider, but struggles with control. Abel was dominant in AAA this year, where he posted a 2.31 ERA over 13 starts. Unfortunately, he struggled in six major league starts with a 5.04 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Despite the slow start to his big league career, he’s young and will have a great chance to blossom as a mid-level starter for Minnesota.
Will it be Worth it for the Phillies?
There’s no doubt that this front office just gave up a lot to land the top closer in the market. While Abel and Tait’s careers will need to play out before we can truly judge this trade, we can still analyze the impact Duran could have on the Phillies. Fortunately, the closer won’t have only this season to show his value to the City of Brotherly Love, as he is under team control through 2027.
Even if both prospects end up having great careers, the Phillies still can win this trade if they do one thing: win. Ultimately, the value of relief pitchers on contending teams comes down to whether or not they get it done in the playoffs. Assuming the Phillies make the playoffs, this will be the second postseason of Duran’s career. In his first, he was flawless, throwing five shutout innings over four games in 2023.
The 27-year-old’s numbers and talent say he was the right guy to trade for. Now, the Phillies need his help to bring the second 2025 championship to Philadelphia this Fall. If they pull it off, Duran could very well be throwing the final pitch of the series.
Phillies Outbid Other Teams to Land Closer Jhoan Duran