Losing Jhoan Duran is one of the toughest pills for Twins fans to swallow this trade deadline. Minnesota traded Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for two top-100 prospects in right-handed starting pitcher Mick Abel (No. 91 per MLB Pipeline) and catcher Eduardo Tait (No. 56 per MLB Pipeline).
The Twins’ return for Duran was among the better prospect hauls received by any team at the deadline, only rivaled by the Athletics’ spectacular return from the San Diego Padres for right-handed closer Mason Miller.
However, with Duran under team control through 2027, it feels as if the Twins should have received a more highly-regarded prospect like Andrew Painter for the hard-throwing closer. There is a lot of potential in the prospects Minnesota received from Philadelphia, and it seems on paper that the trade is of equal value for both teams involved, but it is still tough to see a top bullpen arm leave in exchange for two players who MIGHT be good in the major leagues one day.
Jhoan Duran's first bullpen walkout with Phillies will make Twins fans sick
Duran made his first appearance as a Phillie on Friday, and as Jomboy Media said on X, it was “CINEMA.”
Jhoan Duran entering the game for the first time as a Phillie at Citizens Bank Park was CINEMA pic.twitter.com/0lLFLoi8JY
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 2, 2025
For anyone who is not a Twins fan, or perhaps not a fan of an NL East team not named the Phillies, seeing Duran enter the game at Citizens Bank Park was awesome. But for Twins fans, it only serves as a painful reminder of what they once had.
Jhoan Duran has successful first outing with Phillies
Duran ended up collecting the save on four pitches in his first appearance with Philadelphia on Friday by inducing a groundout from Colt Keith, a pop out from Spencer Torkelson, and a lineout to left field from Riley Greene, respectively, to give the Phillies a 5-4 win against the Tigers.
Harrison Bader makes impact in first game with Phillies
Former Twins outfielder Harrison Bader, whom Minnesota dealt to Philadelphia on Thursday, also made his Phillies debut on Friday. He pinch hit for another former Twin, outfielder Max Kepler, drew a walk and scored on a Trea Turner RBI single.