The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of one of the most successful eras in franchise history, as the club seems poised to reach the postseason for the fifth straight year. Far-too-early playoff exits have soured the fanbase in recent years, and a large portion of the blame for those debacles belongs to shoddy bullpens. The lack of an elite closer was finally rectified last season when Jhoan Duran was brought in at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Duran is set to reach free agency after next season. Realistically, what would it look like to keep the team’s knight in shining armor around long-term?
Jhoan Duran isn’t just good; he’s dominant. The Dominican fireballer came to Philadelphia with four years’ worth of 2.47 ERA pitching with the Minnesota Twins. The 28-year-old has kicked it into overdrive ever since that acquisition, as he’s fired 53 ⅓ innings of 1.69 ERA ball in red pinstripes, punching out 77 batters and piling up 40 saves.
That kind of production couldn’t have come at a better time, as the 2025 Phillies were relying on a carousel of Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering and (gasp) Jordan Romano to close out games. Prior playoff runs had seen has-beens like Brad Hand and Craig Kimbrel attempt to slam the door when it mattered most. Suffice to say, the Phillies really needed Duran.
The bullpen is once again an issue in 2026 as, outside of Duran, the rest of the relief corps has looked mighty shaky. Fans are already clamoring for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to reel in a high-leverage arm or two at the trade deadline, and that’s with the benefit of an All-Star at the back end.
Simply put, the Phillies cannot afford to lose Duran at any point during their window of contention. His ability to shorten games in close contests is not just valuable during the regular season, but is absolutely essential come playoff time. If Dombrowski wants his club to remain competitive beyond next season, he’ll need to keep Duran in the fold.
So how does Dombrowski go about retaining Duran? By working out a contract extension. It’s becoming more and more common to see elite talents work out long-term deals with their employers, giving the team the benefit of their services for years to come, while offering the player financial certainty.
There’s no guarantee that Duran’s camp would be willing to agree to an extension just before free agency, but considering how fragile the arm of a major league pitcher can be, especially one who routinely dials it up over 100 miles per hour, it would behoove him to at least listen on offers of life-changing money.
Jhoan Duran could command a record-setting payday, and he's well worth it
Relievers have been getting paid lately; elite relievers, at least. The Los Angeles Dodgers broke records by giving longtime New York Met Edwin Díaz a three-year deal with an annual average value of $21.12 million. The Houston Astros’ Josh Hader has the largest total guarantee among relievers with his five-year, $95 million pact.
As crazy as it may sound, locking up Duran may need to top both of those marks. The newly minted All-Star is just 28 years old and will reach free agency after the 2027 season in a loaded class that features names like Kyle Tucker, Zack Wheeler and Freddie Freeman, among others. Hader was already 30 when he inked his megadeal, while Díaz turned 32 before his first game in Los Angeles. Duran would have a leg up on both of them when he reaches the open market.
In addition to the age factor, the financial landscape of Major League Baseball could look wildly different after this winter. The upcoming labor strife will lead to changes in player compensation one way or the other. If the players’ union succeeds in raising luxury tax thresholds, deep-pocketed teams would have even more cash to throw around.
If that comes to pass, it should be well within reason for Duran’s camp to expect to outdo both Hader’s total earnings, as well as Díaz’s average salary. Something in the range of four years, $100 million should be able to get both sides to put pen to paper.
When it comes down to it, Dave Dombrowski needs to get comfortable with risk if he wants to lock up Jhoan Duran. A pitcher’s arm could detonate at any point, but Duran is an arm the Phillies can ill afford to lose. Ponying up over $100 million to a guy who only works one inning at a time seems like a steep price to pay, but just think about how dismal things were before he came to town.
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