Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Finally, the two sides get a deal done after all the speculation for the last few weeks. The Phillies have been looking for a high-leverage reliever and now they have one in Duran. In exchange, the Twins received right-hander Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait. Both players were top prospects in the Phillies farm system, so a nice grab for Minnesota. The Phillies get a shut down closer in Duran for the rest of this year and two more seasons after 2025. Duran holds a 2.01 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 53/18 K/BB ratio with 16 saves in 49 games this season. He figures to see the bulk of the saves in Philly going forward which should increase his fantasy value.

The trade market for Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran is heating up, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox being among the many teams pursuing him. Heyman also lists the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners as other teams in the mix. The 27-year-old Dominican right-hander is extremely attractive at this year's trade deadline and would be a huge upgrade for any team's bullpen for the stretch run. Duran throws over 100 mph and has a 2.01 ERA (2.49 FIP), a 1.18 WHIP, 16 saves and a 53:18 K:BB in 49 1/3 relief innings this year in his fourth season with the Twins. He has 74 career saves and could become even more valuable in fantasy, depending on where he is traded. If Duran is traded, Griffin Jax or Louis Varland could see save chances for the Twins.

USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale writes that the Philadelphia Phillies have been extensively scouting Minnesota Twins relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax and are hoping to acquire at least one of them by the July 31 trade deadline. Nightengale adds that the Twins are drawing strong interest from the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. Duran is having a bounce-back season in 2025 after posting a career-worst 3.64 ERA for the Twins last year. The 27-year-old hard-throwing right-hander has successfully converted each of his last five save chances and enters the All-Star break sporting a career-low 1.66 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, 15 saves, 49 strikeouts and 16 walks in 43 1/3 innings pitched. The Phillies are currently mixing and matching save chances with Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering, but if they acquired Duran, he'd be the unquestioned primary closer.

Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran notched his 15th save of the season on Friday night in his team's 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Duran worked a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit but striking out two without walking a batter. The 27-year-old righty has now converted each of his last four save chances. In 42 1/3 total innings (43 games) this season Duran is 15/17 converting save opportunities with a 1.49 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts. Duran's 26.3% strikeout rate entering the night was a career-low, but he's been as effective as ever so far this year and remains a high-level closer option in fantasy.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran secured his 14th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Duran pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and needed a mere eight pitches to put the Cubs away. That makes five straight scoreless appearances for Duran, whose ERA is down to a microscopic 1.52 in 41 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old has also blown just two saves while posting 45:16 K:BB and a 1.09 WHIP.

The Athletic's Dan Hayes reports that Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran (illness) was unavailable for Tuesday's home win against the Chicago Cubs due to illness. Hayes also notes that he was sent home early to prevent infecting his teammates. It's possible that the 27-year-old won't be available for another day or two while he recovers, but it doesn't sound like anything serious. Duran has been superb in 2025, compiling a 1.56 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 45:16 K:BB ratio with 13 saves in 41 appearances (40 1/3 innings). Fellow bullpen arms Griffin Jax and/or Louie Varland figure to handle late-inning duties while he's sidelined.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless pair of innings to improve to 5-3 in a 6-5 decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. It was an eventful outing for Duran, who threw 34 pitches and had to work around a double and an intentional walk in the top of the eighth to escape a jam. Duran ran into more trouble when he allowed a single and a walk in the ninth, but he also got out of that inning unscathed. The Twins went on to win on a Brooks Lee walk-off bunt in the bottom of the ninth. Duran finished with three strikeouts and decreased his ERA to 1.56 over 40 1/3 innings. Since taking a loss on June 24, Duran has made four appearances and tossed five scoreless innings with three saves and a victory.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran nailed down his 13th save of the year in a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Duran allowed a one-out single to Connor Norby, but he quickly put out the fire by forcing Dane Myers to ground into a game-ending double play. The right-hander needed just nine pitches to get through the ninth inning and log his third straight scoreless appearance. Duran's ERA is down to a sparkling 1.64 with 42:14 K:BB and a 1.07 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran made quick work of the Detroit Tigers to pick up his 12th save in a 4-1 win on Friday. Duran retired the Tigers in order in the ninth inning on only nine pitches and struck out one. The hard-throwing 27-year-old has converted 12 of 14 save opportunities and posted a sparkling 1.69 ERA with 42 saves against 14 walks over 37 1/3 innings.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran notched save No. 11 in a 2-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. Duran retired the Mariners in order on just nine pitches, inducing a groundout from MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh and striking out one along the way. It was a nice rebound by Duran, who took the loss against the Mariners on Tuesday in a poor outing. Duran has allowed a run in four of 10 appearances this month, but he has put up sparkling numbers overall. The 27-year-old has pitched to a 1.73 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 41:14 K:BB in 36 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, with the Twins sitting four games under .500, Duran has only received 13 save opportunities this year.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Jhoan Duran walked and struck out a batter to secure his ninth save in Tuesday's 4-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Duran got Junior Caminero to strike out to begin the bottom of the ninth. However, he spent 14 pitches over his next two at-bats to Jonathan Aranda (single) and Chandler Simpson (ground out) before Jose Caballero flied out to send everyone home. The 27-year-old didn't have the easiest time getting through his appearance, but has pitched a scoreless outing 14 of the last 15 times he's toed the rubber. The Dominican Republic native holds a stellar 1.07 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 30:11 K:BB ratio (25 1/3 innings) and has some of the best expected metrics of his career.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran was called upon to hold a one-run lead against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The right-hander gave up a two-out single, but ended up striking out Jarren Duran to earn his fourth save of the season. Duran has recorded saves in back-to-back games, but he has been pretty quiet before that. To be fair, it's not really his fault as the Twins aren't winning too many games to give Duran save chances. The right-hander is one of the better relief pitchers in the league as seen by his 1.17 ERA on the season. Despite the lack of chances, Duran needs to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran pitched a clean ninth inning in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Although his 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 innings pitched so far in the season is encouraging, it's unfortunate that he still has zero save opportunities through 16 games. The Twins are now sitting at 5-11, so hopefully, they can turn it around and provide Duran with some more opportunities soon. All that aside, Duran has looked effective in his seven appearances, with an opponent batting average of .136 to go with the low ERA. Although the strikeout numbers are down, it's too early to sound the alarm. More importantly, the Twins need to give him some more consistent opportunities. Next for the Twins is a three-game home series against the New York Mets.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran tallied his 17th save of the campaign on Thursday evening as he tossed a clean ninth inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced and earned the third out via a ground out. Duran has earned two saves this month with a strong 1.80 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. Overall, the 26-year-old holds a 3.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 12:41 BB:K ratio through 39 innings of work. However, he sports an excellent 2.82 xERA, which suggests he should continue to lower his ratios during the second half. In addition, he excels at generating ground balls at an impressive 59.4% rate which also shows he could continue to succeed. Duran remains one of the better relief options in fantasy and should continue to see a majority of the save opportunities in Minnesota.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran improved to 5-3 in Monday's 8-6 extra-innings win over the White Sox. Duran came in to pitch the bottom of the 10th inning with the game tied and pitched a scoreless inning, allowing no hits and a walk with a strikeout. The Twins would score in the top of the 11th and Kody Funderburk closed out the game, making Duran the winning pitcher. The 26-year-old has not provided the strikeouts fantasy managers were expecting but has been solid overall, converting 13 of 14 save opportunities with a 3.14 ERA, an 8.16 K/9 rate, and a 3.14 BB/9 rate in 28 2/3 innings pitched. He did miss the start of the season with a right oblique strain and his pitches are all down about one MPH, but he still has electric stuff, which should help boost his strikeout rate.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran got back on track in Friday's win over the visiting Texas Rangers, earning his fifth save of the year with one strikeout in the ninth inning. Travis Jankowski walked to get the tying run aboard, but Duran got Marcus Semien to ground out to secure the Twins' 3-2 win. Duran needed a bounce-back effort in the worst way after giving up five runs over his past three appearances, and while the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander's 4.02 ERA through 10 2/3 innings overall out of Minnesota's bullpen in 2024 leaves a lot to be desired, his 1.03 WHIP is more encouraging. Duran has converted each of his five save opportunities for the Twins as well, and he's starting to get more ninth-inning work following a delayed start to the season.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran took the loss in Sunday's 5-2 defeat against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing a walk-off three-run homer to Will Brennan in the ninth inning. Duran was tasked with keeping the game tied and giving Minnesota a chance to win it in extras, but after two walks (one intentional) the 26-year-old served up a curveball that Brennan sent deep. Interestingly, Duran said after the game that he wanted to throw a fastball but was told not to. Regardless of the poor outing and postgame comments, Duran remains a solid fantasy option for saves and should continue to be the Twins' highest-leverage option out of the bullpen.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran was saddled with his first loss of the campaign in Friday's defeat to the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, surrendering his first run of the season. Summoned in the eighth inning to try and keep the game tied, Duran served up a go-ahead home run to Jose Ramirez before striking out Josh Naylor. Although the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander has converted each of his three save opportunities while striking out nine and walking just one across his first eight innings of the year, his usage has been questionable from a fantasy perspective also with three holds for the Twins. Duran should still be viewed as the favorite for saves in Minnesota's bullpen, but manager Rocco Baldelli has shown a tendency to use him in the highest-leverage situations at times so far this year.

The Minnesota Twins have activated right-hander Jhoan Duran (oblique), who has missed the start of the season due to an oblique injury. Last season, the right-hander had 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA. Duran is one of the top closers in fantasy baseball and is expected to resume his role as the closer after his two-game rehab stint in Triple-A, as his fastball clocked in at an average of 101.8 mph. In a corresponding move, the Twins have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment. Bowman had a 2.35 ERA in five games in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs out of the bullpen.