The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a deal to acquire star closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
Duran was one of the most coveted relievers on the trade market ahead of Thursday's deadline, with a host of teams looking to add him.
Philadelphia won out, sending catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel to Minnesota in return, sources said. Tait and Abel are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among the Phillies' minor league prospects, per ESPN.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Duran, an All-Star this season, is one of the best relievers in the sport, thanks to his nasty stuff headlined by a fastball that averages 100.3 mph, a splinker that sits at 97.5 mph and a curveball to keep hitters off balance. The right-hander also has two more years of team control after this season.
Duran, 27, has given up just one home run this season, and his 1.66 ERA ranked sixth among MLB pitchers with at least 43 innings at the All-Star break.
But the Twins are in sell mode ahead of the deadline, with Wednesday's 13-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox dropping them to 51-57 on the season.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are tied with the Mets atop the NL East with a 61-46 record but have been searching for a back-of-the-bullpen arm.
They've 16 blown saves this season, tied for fourth-most in the NL. And they've struggled to find a permanent closer, as five different players have multiple blown saves this season, tied for third-most in the majors, only trailing the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels, who both have six.
Jordan Romano leads the team with eight saves.
Overall, the Philly bullpen has been the least used in the majors. Entering Wednesday, its relievers have thrown the fewest pitches (5,781) and the fewest innings (344 2/3) in the league. Despite that lack of usage, the bullpen's ERA is 4.33 (24th in MLB) and opponents' batting average is .252 (23rd).
Information from ESPN Research was used in this report.
