Phillies acquire closer Duran from Twins
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CHICAGO (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies think Jhoan Duran has electric stuff. So electric that they were willing to pay a hefty price for the hard-throwing closer.
The Phillies reeled in Duran on Wednesday, trading two of their top prospects to the Minnesota Twins for the veteran right-hander.
“This guy's one of the best closers in baseball,” manager Rob Thomson said, “and we've turned the bullpen into a really good bullpen as far as I'm concerned.”
Duran has 16 saves and a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances this season, striking out 53 in 49 1/3 innings. His 100.2 mph average velocity for his four-seam fastball is second to Mason Miller’s 101.1 mph among those who have thrown 200 or more pitches. He has thrown 163 pitches of 100 mph or more, fourth most in majors behind Miller, Seth Halvorsen and Daniel Palencia.
The 27-year-old Duran, who isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season, is expected to join the team before Friday night's game against Detroit.
“We got a dominant closer for a tough price, two good players, but something that we think (with) where we are makes sense,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.
Catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel were shipped off to Minnesota. Tait, 18, is batting .255 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs across two minor league stops this year, and Abel, 23, made his major league debut in May.
The Twins said Abel will report to Triple-A St. Paul, and Tait is going to Class A Cedar Rapids.
Philadelphia (61-47) is a half-game back of the NL East-leading New York Mets. The Phillies won the division last year before they were eliminated by the Mets in their NL Division Series.
Word of the Duran move started to filter through the Phillies during their rain-delayed loss at the White Sox.
“I think that whenever you make a splash for a high-caliber player, that means something,” slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “It means that they really want to help put you over the top and get you going.”
Dombrowski said a lot of teams with available closers asked for Andrew Painter, but the Phillies have decided they aren't going to trade the highly regarded right-hander right now. The contractual control for Duran played a role in the team going ahead with the deal.
“We would not have paid this price for a rental,” Dombrowski said.
Duran joins a Philly bullpen that also has Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering. David Robertson is ramping up with Triple-A Lehigh Valley after signing a one-year contract on July 21, and José Alvarado is expected to return from an 80-game suspension for a positive test for external testosterone.
Duran was acquired by Minnesota in a deal with Arizona at the 2018 trade deadline. He is 17-23 with a 2.47 ERA and 74 saves in 223 career games.
The Phillies will be responsible for $1,330,645 of Duran’s salary, which also will increase their luxury tax payment by about $1.46 million.
“It just lengthens the (bullpen) so much,” Thomson said. “You've got leverage almost in every guy down there. ... We got some pieces now.”
It has been a tough season for Minnesota, which dropped to 51-57 when it lost 13-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. It could look to move a couple more players ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline.