Mets made right choice to not overpay for elite closer

The New York Mets would have had to pay a huge asking price to acquire Jhoan Duran.

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The New York Mets were incredibly active ahead of the trade deadline this year, with their front office having their sights on specific needs to upgrade the roster for the stretch run.

President of baseball operations David Stearns upgraded the bullpen in a major way. Left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles to kick things off. After that, the Mets landed Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals and Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants. In need of outfield help, Cedric Mullins came to New York from the Orioles as well.

It was an arms race between the Mets and their National League East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams were in the market for the same positional upgrades. The Phillies made a huge splash, acquiring Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran in exchange for their young starting pitcher Mick Abel and top catching prospect, Eduardo Tait. It was a steep price tag, but one that their president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, was comfortable making.

Evidently, New York had a shot at acquiring Duran before their rivals did. As shared by Jon Heyman via Mets Batflip on X, the Mets and Twins were engaged in negotiations. However, things stalled because of the exorbitant asking price that Minnesota had placed on its star relief pitcher.

Read More: Insider reveals why Mets missed elite closer at trade deadline

If New York wanted Duran, it would have to part with one of their star prospects. Right-handed pitchers Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat, outfielder Carson Benge or middle infielder/outfielder Jett Williams were requested; those are the top five-ranked prospects currently in the organization, with Benge being No. 1.

TRENDING: The Twins wanted one of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams or Carson Benge but the Mets wouldn't trade any of them for Jhoan Duran, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/Q9811Scfes

— Mets Batflip (@metsbatflip1) August 21, 2025

Mets made right choice not meeting Twins Jhoan Duran asking price

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There is no doubt that Duran would have been a major upgrade for the backend of the Mets' bullpen. He would have also provided the team with some insurance in case Edwin Diaz opts out of his contract and signs a deal elsewhere in free agency. But the Mets were right to turn down those offers.

Given their lack of action on the starting pitching market ahead of the trade deadline, it was clear they had a plan in place for their young arms to help at the major league level. McLean has made his debut and provided the team with incredible production through two starts. There is a chance he will be joined in the near future by another one of the youngsters, potentially Sproat.

Trading away prospects of that upside for a relief pitcher was not worth the risk for the Mets, especially when taking into consideration what it cost them to acquire the three relievers they did bring aboard. New York moved only two of their top 10 prospects, which were Jesus Baez in the Helsley deal and Blade Tidwell in the Rogers deal; they were ranked No. 8 and No. 10, respectively.

Having to face off against Duran as a member of their rivals certainly hurts, but it was the right decision to make. Philadelphia was willing to pay the incredibly high price tag, which could have certainly been done in part to ensure he didn’t land with New York.