Twins reap impressive haul from Jhoan Duran trade

The Philadelphia Phillies just won the sweepstakes for one of MLB’s premier closers. RHP Jhoan Duran is exactly the piece that could salvage Philadelphia’s crumbling bullpen. The bigger prize, however, might just be what the Twins landed in return.

Headed to the Twin Cities are RHP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait, both of whom are top 100 prospects this year. Abel made his MLB debut earlier this year and currently owns a 5.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 25 innings over six starts. These numbers are nothing to be thrilled about, but Abel is a lot better than his numbers would suggest.

In 74 innings during his time in Triple-A this season, the 23-year-old righty pitched to a 2.31 ERA with 81 strikeouts. His fastball averages in the mid-90s and he boasts four secondary pitches that can rate as plus.

As for the secondary prize, if you can call him that, Tait isn’t expected to reach the majors anytime soon (2028), but he is ranked higher than Abel — Tait is the no. 4 prospect in the Phillies' farm system, Abel is no. 6. This is thanks to his stunning power profile. His scouting report thoroughly details his hitting prowess:

“He finds the barrel consistently and makes a lot of hard contact," per the report. "He’s capable of driving the ball to all fields and can hit the ball out everywhere, showing good power for such a young age.”

Before the trade, Tait was hitting .255/.319/.434 with 11 home runs in 318 at-bats across low and high-A. He is projected to be an average defender behind the plate.

The addition of Duran may give the Phillies the boost they need to reach the World Series this year, but the haul the Twins received could set them up for a long time. With the clock ticking on Abel’s service time, he has six years of club control. The future battery of Abel and Tait could usher the Twins into a new era of Minnesota baseball.