The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to dominant relievers Jhoan Duran and Mason Miller as we’re a day away from
The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to dominant relievers Jhoan Duran and Mason Miller as we’re a day away from the trade deadline. Either one would instantly elevate one of the weaker bullpens in baseball. But it doesn’t seem that Duran and Miller will be closing games at Citizens Bank Park this season and here’s why.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Minnesota Twins want Philadelphia’s top pitching prospect Andrew Painter in return for Duran. The Athletics also want a Painter-led package for Miller, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.
The Minnesota Twins are expected to trade closer Jhoan Duran by the end of the day with the Los Angeles Dodgers in strong pursuit.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2025
The Twins have also been in heavy discussions with the Phillies but have not lowered their asking price of prized pitching prospect Andrew Painter.
That is a non-starter, as the Phillies refuse to part with Painter — who ranks as MLB.com’s No. 8 overall prospect in baseball.
“If the Phillies were willing to trade top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, they would be in play for both Athletics closer Mason Miller and Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran. But they refuse to even entertain the thought of moving Painter, just as they were in previous talks for top lefty starter Garrett Crochet,” write The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Rosenthal.
They added: “The Phillies view Painter as perhaps their best pitching prospect since Cole Hamels – yes, perhaps even better than Aaron Nola. And at some point after the deadline, they likely will deploy him as a weapon for their major-league club.”
Even though the Phillies have Painter off-limits, they are reportedly open to trading top prospects Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford.
It’s not surprising the Twins and Athletics refuse to part with their elite pitchers if Painter isn’t included in a deal. Miller is under team control through 2029 while Duran won’t be a free agent until after the 2027 season.
The Phillies were interested in Miller during the offseason. They reportedly offered 2024 All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm to the Athletics for Miller, but were turned down.
Miller has a 3.76 ERA and is striking out 13.9 batters per nine innings, while Duran sports a 2.01 ERA and 9.7 strikeouts per nine. Both pitchers consistently throw 100 mph-plus.
The Phillies bullpen is in dire straits and needs a dramatic makeover at the trade deadline. Philadelphia relievers rank 23rd in baseball in ERA (4.33) and 22nd in batting average allowed (.252). Their big free-agent acquisition in Jordan Romano has a 6.81 ERA and lefty reliever Jose Alvarado is still serving an 80-game PED suspension and is ineligible to pitch in the postseason.
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