Fans eagerly waited for the Philadelphia Phillies to fill positions of need leading up to the MLB trade deadline. Just over 24 hours before the July 31 deadline was due to end, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski strengthened their bullpen with the acquisition of Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran. Philly parted with their No. 4 and No. 6 prospects, catcher Eduardo Tait and starting pitcher Mick Abel, in exchange for the right-hander.
ESPN's Buster Olney and Jeff Passan published a piece on July 30, focusing on the latest intel regarding the trade deadline. Olney wrote about the significant role a high-leverage reliever will have for the Phillies as they look to finish the season strong and clinch their fourth consecutive playoff berth. Passan wrote in the piece that "the Phillies are among the most aggressive teams in the relief market and will add an arm."
Well, they did just that.
Phillies' trade deadline addition of Jhoan Duran will be MLB's 'biggest impact' move
Olney wrote: "Whichever late-inning reliever is acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies-- whether it be Ryan Helsley or Griffin Jax or someone else -- Rob Thomson will have to rely on that pitcher heading into the postseason. José Alvarado is sidelined in October because of his PED suspension."
Closed the deal. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/r5s6ZxkFIo
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 31, 2025
Speculation surrounded the likelihood of the Phillies adding to their bullpen earlier in the year, even before Alvarado's suspension. The club lost two viable closers in Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman during the offseason. Free agent addition Jordan Romano has been inconsistent, while Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm have not always been used frequently by Thomson in high-leverage situations.
Unlike the rental of Estévez a year ago, Dombrowski added Duran who has two years remaining on his current contract, which is why the Phillies traded two of their top 10 prospects in Tait and Abel.
Dombrowski spoke about the role they envision for Duran, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Bob Cooney.
"He’s legitimate. He’s a legitimate closer," Dombrowski said, per Cooney. “We talked about it beforehand that if we got him he’d be our guy. He gets lefties and righties out. The one thing they told me if you wanted to use him another inning you could. He has also pitched multiple inning various times but I don’t think we’re getting him for that purpose.”
Thomson's use of his bullpen will be crucial. If the bullpen remains healthy, he will have his choice of using in the later innings of a game between David Robertson, Strahm, Kerkering, Romano, Duran, and Alvarado, once he returns from his suspension in mid-August.
Phillies fans have sufficient reasoning to be excited presently following the Duran addition. The acquisition gives the club with World Series aspirations an established option to use in high-leverage situations. The team faced plenty of competition from competing clubs in the San Diego Padres and the Mets, who also boosted their respective bullpens before the deadline expired. Time will tell if Philly's newest bullpen addition will be enough to help them win a championship this fall.