Twins trade closer Jhoan Duran to Phillies

Bobby Nightengale and Phil Miller, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 30, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins moved beyond trading only their pending free agents Wednesday, dealing closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the trade deadline’s blockbuster deals.

Duran was informed of the trade, which is dependent on the players involved passing physicals, Wednesday afternoon after the Twins’ loss to the Boston Red Sox at Target Field.

In return, the Twins will receive catching prospect Edouardo Tait and rookie right-handed starter Mick Abel, sources confirmed to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Tait is ranked as the Phillies’ No. 3 prospect by Baseball America (and No. 50 overall) and Abel is ranked No. 6.

Abel, a 23-year-old who was a first-round pick in 2020, is 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA across six major league starts in his rookie season.

Tait, an 18-year-old catcher, is batting .255 with 11 homers and 57 RBI in 82 games mostly in Class-A ball this year.

Duran was viewed as the top reliever available on the trade market, drawing attention from virtually every contending team. Working as the Twins’ closer for the past three seasons, Duran had a 2.01 ERA with 16 saves in 18 opportunities this year.

With a fastball that averages 100 mph, a devastating splitter and a wicked curveball, Duran struck out 53 batters in 49 1/3 innings while producing one of the highest ground-ball rates in the majors.

The Twins initially acquired Duran in 2018 through a trade centered on infielder Eduardo Escobar. Duran developed from a starter into a flamethrowing reliever — now complete with a fiery entrance video.

He tallied 74 saves and a 2.47 ERA in four seasons with the Twins, and he pitched five scoreless innings during the 2023 postseason when the Twins advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 21 seasons.

With the trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET Thursday, the Twins figure to be one of the more active teams selling off their players.

The Twins have five pending free agents: Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, Christian Vázquez and Ty France. Contending teams interested in boosting their bullpens could call on Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart, though both players won’t reach free agency until after the 2027 season.

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