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MLB Insiders Tab Twins’ Fireballer as ‘Best Fit’ for Phillies

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The bullpen has not been the brightest spot for the Philadelphia Phillies. As a whole, the Phillies’ relief corps owns a 4.63 ERA entering Tuesday, which is the fifth-worst mark in MLB. But as abysmal as they’ve been, there might be a handy solution.

In a recent article on ESPN, two MLB insiders proposed sending Minnesota Twins’ fireballer Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia. While discussing the top trade candidates on the market, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan speculated on Duran’s potential availability, giving him a forty percent chance of being traded and listing the Phillies as one of five ‘best fits.’

“Duran is one of the best relievers in the sport, thanks to his nasty stuff headlined by a fastball that averages 100.2 mph and a splinker that sits at 97.5 mph,” they wrote of Duran. “He has two more years of team control after this season, so he'd demand a big trade package.”

As the insiders noted, Duran boasts a four-seamer that averages 100.2 mph. As it stands today, that is the second-highest average four-seamer velocity in the game, second only to Mason Miller, and the results have been awe-striking. In 34.1 innings this season, Duran owns a career-best 1.57 ERA with 39 strikeouts. If Duran is on the market this time around, he’d certainly be a hot commodity, receiving plenty of interest.

Sitting at 37-41, the Twins are just 3.5 games back in the Wild Card race. If they can bridge the gap, even by a little, chances are, Duran stays in Minnesota. Duran has been an indispensable part of the team since his debut in 2022 and still has years left on his contract, which only adds to the case against trading him.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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