Phillies Named Great Fit for Twins Closer With Chance of Being Traded

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a strong weekend against the New York Yankees, in which they were able to win two out of three games and keep pace in the National League East.

This week will be important for the Phillies. The trade deadline is quickly approaching and Philadelphia is one of the teams that must be aggressive to make improvements.

Despite their good record, this team has a glaring issue in its bullpen and could also use a slugger in the outfield.

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With the window of opportunity to win being now, the Phillies must get aggressive and try to fix these two issues. The struggles of the bullpen and offensive production from outfielders were a main reason why they were eliminated by the New York Mets in the NLDS, and they can’t have that happen again.

While improving the offense would be nice, the bullpen is really where Philadelphia should be focused.

Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN recently wrote about the Phillies being a great fit for Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran, whom they gave a 30% chance of being dealt.

“Duran is one of the best relievers in the sport, thanks to his nasty stuff, headlined by a fastball that averages 100.4 mph and a splinker that sits 97.6 mph. He has two more years of team control after this season, so he'd demand a big trade package.”

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Even though the Twins are struggling and will likely be sellers at the deadline, how much they will sell is the question.

Duran is still under team control for the next two years, which means Minnesota doesn’t have to panic and move him this summer. However, with a lot of contenders seeking an elite closer, the Twins could get quite the haul if they do trade him.

The right-hander is good enough to likely warrant some of the best prospects a team has to offer, and potentially a player who is either already in the Majors or is ready to be.

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For Philadelphia, they are one of the aforementioned teams that need a closer. The addition of Jordan Romano hasn’t worked out, leaving the back end of the unit in shambles.

The Phillies have some elite-level prospects they could send to the Twins in exchange for the star closer.

While it will likely take a giant offer to gain Minnesota’s interest, Philadelphia should certainly be pursuing the right-hander.

For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.