Philadelphia Phillies Working to Acquire at Least One of Powerful Minnesota Twins Relievers

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Phillies want to pick up either Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran this trade deadline season.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Target Field on July 9.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Target Field on July 9. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Philadelphia Phillies are working to acquire a power arm in the bullpen, and they have their eyes set on the Minnesota Twins.

The Philadelphia Phillies have been extensively scouting Minnesota Twins relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, hoping to acquire at least one of them.

Of course, there's no guarantee that the Twins are going to sell, as they enter play on Sunday at just three games back in the American League wild card chase, but if they do, Duran and Jax will be highly coveted.

Duran, 27, has one of the best fastballs in the game and routinely hits the triple-digit mark. He also features a nasty splinker that registers in the upper-90s. He's gone 5-3 this season with a 1.49 ERA, striking out 47 batters in 42.1 innings. He's got 15 saves out of 43 appearances. A four-year veteran of the Twins, he's also under team control through 2027.

The 30-year-old Jax isn't having as solid of a season, but he's still a power arm in the 'pen. He's struck out 65 batters in just 40.1 innings, but he's gone 1-4 with a 4.02 ERA. A former starter, he became a reliever in 2022 and hasn't looked back. He had a 2.03 ERA in 72 games last season.

He's also under control through 2027.

As for the Phillies, they've dropped six of their last 10 games, falling to 0.5 games back of the New York Mets in the National League East.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.