Phillies Bolster Back End of Bullpen in Blockbuster Trade with Twins

With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Phillies make their first move at the deadline in acquiring closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, according to insiders Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman. The trend of trying to find a closer at the deadline is something that Phillies fans have become accustomed to. In the past couple of years, the Phillies have acquired David Robertson, Michael Lorenzen, and Carlos Estevez all at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, none of these moves have worked out for the Phillies and have all been one-year rentals. Unlike the others, Duran has two years of arbitration left in his deal, which could mean he stays around in Philadelphia. Taking a deeper look at the trade, both teams received a packages that benefit each side.

Starting with the Twins, they currently sit in fourth place in the AL with a record of 51-57, 12 games behind first place. The team had been rumoured to be selling at this trade deadline with pieces like Byron Buxton and Jhoan Duran up for grabs. Duran has been the only one traded up to this point, but in his trade, the team acquired the Phillies' fourth-ranked prospect Edurardo Tait and the Phillies' sixth-ranked prospect Mick Abel. Tait is a very interesting piece to acquire, as he is only 18 years old and is performing very well at the Single-A level. The catching prospect is hitting .251 this season to go along with his 11 home runs and 51 RBIs, performing well at his young age. As for Abel, he is only 23 years old and has shown flashes of major league potential this season. He started six games for the Phillies in which he earned a 5.04 ERA. In his first two starts, Abel only gave up one run in 11.1 innings of work and struck out 11 in the process. These two pieces help Minnesota add a spark of youth for a team looking to make a season comeback.

For the Phillies, the addition fills their biggest weakness on their roster, which is the bullpen. As mentioned in previous articles, the bullpen has struggled but has also been holding the Phillies back a ton this season and has only been getting worse. The team lost arguably its best reliever for the season in Jose Alvarado due to a suspension, so having to make an upgrade was needed. Earlier in the season, some options were thrown out for the Phillies to potentially target, but Duran was not a part of the discussion. The addition of Duran is massive for the Phillies' championship aspirations, as he is having the best year of his career and gives Philadelphia a chance to extend him further than one year. Duran has appeared in 49 innings for the Twins this year, in which he has collected 16 saves to go along with a 2.01 ERA. He immediately enters the Phillies bullpen as their best piece and their immediate closer. The loss of Tait and Abel does sting, but the new addition makes the deal perfect for the Phillies.