As first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and confirmed by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday acquired Twins closer and right-handed flame thrower Jhoan Duran in exchange for right-handed pitcher Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait.

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Mick Abel, the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB.com and MLB’s No. 49 prospect, was with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Over the course of 13 starts in 2025, he is 7-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 81 strikeouts over the course of 74 innings. Per Passan, he is big league ready.

Eduardo Tait was the Phillies’ No. 4 prospect and the No. 63 prospect in baseball. He is a catcher with the Phillies’ Gigh-A affiliate Jersey Shore BlueClaws. This season, Tait is slashing .255/.319/.434, with a .753 OPS. He has 22 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs, along with driving in 57 RBIs, and 43 runs scored. Baseball Prospectus also had Tait ranked at No. 51 in their midseason update.

Over the course of his career, Duran is 17-23 with a 2.47 ERA, 74 saves, and 292 strikeouts through 223 games and 233 2/3 innings in relief. He has become known as one of the best relievers in the game, topping out his fastball at 104.8 mph, averaging at 101.8 mph.

In 2025 alone, the 27-year-old pitched to a 2.01 ERA and 53 strikeouts through 49 1/3 innings (49 games in relief). He was named the American League Reliever of the Month in May.

Duran last pitched for Minnesota on Monday, however, he was in Minnesota’s bullpen on Wednesday when the trade was announced. As their game against the Red Sox came to a close, Duran was exiting the clubhouse to head for Philly.

Duran was a name that was tossed around as a pitcher who could have been sent to the Mets. But instead, he is headed to their National League East rival Phillies, putting more pressure on an already tight division race heading into the dog days of summer.

Duran has been with the Twins organization since 2018, when they acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the trade that sent Eduardo Escobar to Arizona. Since then, Duran has developed into one of the best closers in the majors.