The Philadelphia Phillies won’t be shy about solving their flaws at the 2025 trade deadline.
In a crucial season for the franchise, the Phillies are off to a hot start at 7-3. Several of the team’s stars have eclipsed age 30, and some will be free agents at the end of the year, so they’d better keep their foot on the gas in pursuit of a long-awaited World Series title.
If anything is going to hold the Phillies back, the bullpen is a fairly safe bet. After the free agency departures of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, both American League closers now, the Phillies signed two-time All-Star Jordan Romano, who is off to a bad start after an injury-plagued 2024 season.
Could the Phillies turn things around by acquiring another American League closer via trade?
On Wednesday, Athlon’s Matthew Sullivan named Minnesota Twins fireballer Jhoan Duran as a potential option for the Phillies to replace Romano as the team’s highest-leverage reliever at some point before the end of July.
“After the departure of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, the Phillies needed another right-handed reliever. Jordan Romano was supposed to be the replacement, but he’s gotten off to a terrible start in Philadelphia,” Sullivan wrote.
“Adding Durán to the bullpen would bring in another right-handed reliever, and one who could be the Phillies closer in 2025. A bullpen led by Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Durán would be one of the best in MLB.”
Duran, 27, took the league by storm when he swept in with a fastball that topped out at 105 miles per hour and a devastating “splinker” that can also touch triple digits. He’s not generating swings and misses at an elite rate anymore, but the pure stuff is still there.
With 58 career saves and a 2.59 ERA, Duran is already building a solid track record for himself. He’s not a free agent until 2027, and if the Twins fall out of the playoff race, they could be willing to part ways with him as a cost-cutting measure.
