The Philadelphia Phillies finally made their big splash at the trade deadline by acquiring elite reliever Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for two top prospects in catcher Eduardo Tait and pitcher Mick Abel. In doing so, the Phillies filled one of their most major needs in beefing up their bullpen for the playoff run. As a bona fide closer for the Twins during the past few seasons, Duran will close out games for the Phillies from here on out.
But while the Phillies were busy upgrading their relief corps, the New York Mets happened to have the exact answer to Philadelphia’s bold move by acquiring an elite reliever of their own. The Mets dealt three of their top prospects, infielder Jesus Baez and pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt to the St. Louis Cardinals for veteran closer Ryan Helsley. Unlike the Phillies though, the Mets already have Edwin Díaz excelling in the closer’s role for New York, so Helsley will likely become the team’s primary setup man and the fill-in closer on days Díaz is resting.
Mets answer Phillies' Jhoan Duran trade by acquiring rental arm Ryan Helsley
So how does the Mets' move compare to that of the Phillies' trade? Both teams gave up some top prospects, with the Phillies losing two top 10 players, while the Mets gave up two top 15 prospects plus another extra one for good measure. As a result, one would speculate it would come down to the comparable numbers between Helsley and Duran.
For Helsley, he has just turned 31 years old and has been a two-time All-Star over his seven-year MLB career. Just last season, he led the entire league in saves with 49 and even finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting. For his career, Helsley has posted a 31-15 record with 105 saves, a tidy 2.67 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP, along with 355 strikeouts in 299 2/3 innings for a 29.1 percent career strikeout rate.
As for Duran, despite being one of the top relievers in the league since making his debut in 2022, he has yet to be selected to be an All-Star. However, he is only 27 years old and entering his prime at just the right time for the Phillies. With a career 2.47 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, together with 292 strikeouts in just 233 2/3 innings for a 30.6 percent strikeout rate, those numbers put him just above Helsley. Although Duran has only recorded 74 saves for his career, he has done so in only four seasons to date, compared to Helsley’s 105 over seven seasons.
Looking at the big picture, with all of the similarities in the quality of prospects given up and performance numbers, the determining factor ultimately comes down to Helsley being only a rental, as he becomes a free agent upon the conclusion of the 2025 season, while Duran comes with term as he is under team control through the 2027 season. Consequently, it clearly gives the Phillies the edge over their division rival.
As a result, despite the Mets trying their best to match the Phillies head-on, Philadelphia still remains one step ahead as they battle it out down the stretch for division title bragging rights and ultimately potential playoff supremacy as well.