With the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline less than 24 hours away, the clock is ticking and teams are beginning to show their hands. Wednesday evening brought a flurry of deals including the biggest move yet — the Minnesota Twins shipped out star closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies for a pair of top prospects.
Duran, by far the biggest name dealt yet, fetched quite the return for his former team. Read on for analysis and a trade grade for both sides of the deal.
Jhoan Duran trade grades
Philadelphia Phillies: A+
The Phillies undeniably improved their odds of making it out of the National League with this addition. They sit tied for first place in the NL East with the New York Mets, so this division looks like it may go down to the wire throughout the remainder of the season. In a go-big-or-go-home league, Philadelphia recognized the need to make a splash ahead of the Trade Deadline if they truly want to contend for a World Series.
Duran immediately bolsters the Phillies’ bullpen and should slot in as the primary closer. The 26-year-old boasts a 2.01 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 49 appearances this season with 16 saves to show for his efforts while striking out 53 batters. The right-hander’s savant profile grades out in the 93rd percentile in pitching run value as well as 95th percentile in xERA. Perhaps most impressive is his average fastball velocity of 100.2 mph. He also falls in the 81st percentile or better in chase percentage and whiff percentage, so Duran possesses plenty of swing-and-miss stuff.
He’s a massive add for this Phillies bullpen, and while Duran came at an expensive cost of the organization’s No. 4 and No. 6 prospects, the best part from the club’s perspective is that he’s under team through the 2027 season. Philly did well — acquiring the top closer on the market while retaining their top three prospects — and looks like a more fierce contender than at this time yesterday.
Minnesota Twins: A-
Losing such a talented closer hurts, but the return Minnesota received does numb the hurt for the most part. The Twins received catcher Eduardo Tait and starting pitcher Mick Abel, both of whom could eventually become great everyday contributors for their new organization. The only knock on this deal is that they didn’t bring in any of Philly’s top-three talents.
Abel slotted in as the No. 6 prospect in the Phillies’ system and made his MLB debut back on May 18. The 2020 first-rounder made six appearances with two starts and logged a 5.04 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while striking out 21 batters across 25 innings. He did get recalled back to Triple-A, where his numbers look far better with a 2.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 81 punchouts over 74 innings of work. Abel can touch 98 mph with his fastball and deploys a couple of breaking balls as well which can generate swing-and-miss at-bats, and if he works on his control, he profiles as a legitimate MLB starter.
The other prospect in the deal, catcher Eduardo Tait, ranked No. 4 among his old organization. Signed in 2023, the 18-year-old lefty hasn’t yet made it out of High-A ball but is very young with serious upside. He slashes .288/.349/.470 over his three seasons in the minors with 25 career home runs, showing a little bit of pop to his bat by already matching last year’s career-best mark of 11 dingers with plenty of games to go. While not expected to arrive in the MLB until 2028, Tait is a high-profile prospect worthy of his inclusion in this trade package.
Stay tuned
All things considered, this looks like a win-win deal for both sides. It certainly won’t be the last move over the coming day as the clock ticks down, so stay tuned to DraftKings Network to catch the latest MLB Trade Deadline buzz.
