It appears 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.
"That does (get) hard. Like, I got a couple of years here and I feel like, here is my family," Duran mentioned after Wednesday's game prior to the report of his trade. "So if it does happen, that's maybe broken my heart a little bit."
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.
ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan notes that the Twins got two players with big upsides.
"Mick Abel is a big league-ready starter with first-round pedigree. And Eduardo Tait is a catcher in Class A with massive power and a big arm," Passan wrote on X.
The Twins said Abel will report to Triple-A St. Paul, and Tait is going to Class A Cedar Rapids.
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 has been a tough season for Minnesota, which dropped to 51-57 when it lost 13-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
There's a very good chance the team looks to move a couple more players ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline, which comes at 5:00 p.m. CT. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli says it's important players stick to their routines, and don't get caught up in the rumors.
"I think the players who have been around for a while see that over time and know how to handle it," Baldelli explains. 'Doesn't mean it's easy, but I think keeping with your normal day-to-day how you prepare for for a game, for a day off, for your travel, what you do away and at the ballpark. Keep it the same and that'll keep you in line in the best possible way it sounds."
Names that could be on the watch list for Thursday include pitchers Griffin Jax and Joe Ryan, but it probably requires a major return if the Twins will move Ryan. Outfielder Harrison Bader and utilityman Willi Castro are also valuable trade assets that might be on the move.
There is also a lot of speculation the Houston Astros are looking at a deal to bring back Carlos Correa, who still has three years left after this season on his contract with Minnesota. Correa talked after Wednesday's game about those rumors and said he doesn't see it as "serious."
"I don't think it's serious right now, so we'll see, we'll see where everything goes," Correa says. ""But you know, my my goal has always been to be here and win here and I've been talking to Derek and Rocco and I'll be ready for the next series."
That quote from Correa turns out to be a little prophetic. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Thursday morning that the deal between the Astros and Twins is "all but dead," and it comes down to money.
"The Astros asked the Twins to pay about $50 million of the remaining $102.5 million left in Correa's contract, and to include an outfielder. The Twins rejected the offer, and aren't budging," Nightengale wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.