CHICAGO (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran on Wednesday, trading two top prospects to the Minnesota Twins for the hard-throwing reliever.
A person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a review of medical records.
Duran has 16 saves and a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances this season, striking out 53 in 49 1/3 innings.
Catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel were shipped off to Minnesota in the deal. Tait,
18, is batting .255 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs across two minor league stops this year, and Abel, 23, made his major league debut in May.
Philadelphia is battling the New York Mets for the NL East title. The Phillies won the division last year before they were eliminated by the Mets in their NL Division Series.
The 27-year-old Duran joins a Philly bullpen that also has Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering. Closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball on May 18 after a positive test for external testosterone.
Duran’s 100.2 mph average velocity for his four-seam fastball is second to Mason Miller’s 101.1 mph among those who have thrown 200 or more pitches. Duran has thrown 163 pitches of 100 mph or more, fourth most in majors behind Miller, Seth Halvorsen and Daniel Palencia.
The Phillies will be responsible for $1,330,645 of Duran’s salary, which also will increase their luxury tax payment by about $1.46 million.
It has been a tough season for Minnesota, which dropped to 51-57 when it lost 13-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. It could look to move a couple more players ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
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