Phillies Acquire Jhoan Duran from Twins: What to Make of Move

Additionally, Duran will work with a hard, mid-80s curve and a sweeper he’ll break out on occasion.

The 27-year-old’s 2.01 ERA is in the top 15 of the Majors (min. 35 IP). But what’s more impressive is his ability to limit well-hit contact. Among relievers who’ve hit the 35-inning marker, his .18 H/9 is fourth-best. Duran has only surrendered one home run on the year and very few barrels (3.0%).

Duran is under team control for two more years.

The Twins’ Return

• SP Mick Abel (5.04 ERA, 21 K over 25 IP (MLB))
• C Eduardo Tait (.255/.319/.434, 11 HR and 34 XBH over 82 GP (A and A+))

Minnesota landed two big prospects in this deal. The one closest to being an MLB contributor is Mick Abel, the former first-rounder who did make his MLB debut this season for Philadelphia.

We recapped Abel pretty well back in May (you can check that out), and when we did, I noted that Abel got back on the fast track after a rough 2024 campaign in Triple-A. Despite 32 walks in the Minors this season, he struck out 81 and only gave up five home runs in Lehigh Valley.

Abel can dial it up to the mid-90s, showed good feel for both the slider and curveball, and can pound hitters all over the place.

The other piece in this deal is Eduardo Tait, a Panama-born prospect who signed for only $90,000 two years ago. But thus far, he’s developed into a strong prospect.

An 18-year-old presently in High-A, Tait hit 11 home runs in 79 games last season between the FCL and Low-A, and matched that total in 75 games with Clearwater this season. He did his fair share of feasting on Low-A pitch aside from those home runs, as Tait recorded 23 barrels (6.9 Barrel/PA) per Statcast in the Florida State League, second-best in the circuit behind only Trace Willhoite.

To say the least, those are very impressive numbers for a player at the age of 18.

The power is the draw here for Tait. However, as noted in our Futures Game preview — he was named to the game back in July — the 18-year-old does have holes in his game.

Namely, a propensity to expand the zone. Out of the nearly 700 pitches he saw out of the zone in Clearwater, he chased at those 38.2% of the time.

He did get a good hold on some of those pitches out of the zone. However, that is a point of concern as he moves up the chain.

Analysis

The Phillies are putting the chips in for what could be the last run for the group in this form. As noted earlier in the month, the team has several pending free agents.

With Jose Alvarado ineligible for the postseason and a fluctuating situation in the ninth inning, Duran becomes the legitimate star closer the Phillies have needed for years. Yes, the Phillies struck gold with the likes of David Robertson, who’s back with the team, and Jeff Hoffman. But this is a different kind of arm,

Additionally, the Phillies didn’t have to part with any of their “big three” prospects: Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, or Andrew Painter.

The Twins, meanwhile, get a good starting pitcher prospect, one with control and can slot in as part of the next wave of pitching. Tait, on the other hand, is a high-upside bat and a high-end prospect, in general.

It will hurt their bullpen, though. However, it does offer Griffin Jax a chance to close.