MLB trade deadline: Phillies acquiring closer Jhoan Durán, among 'primary' teams eyeing Arizona slugger

Case closed.

Less than 24 hours before the trade deadline, the Phillies agreed to a deal for flamethrowing closer Jhoan Durán from the Twins, a major league source said Wednesday night. The cost: right-hander Mick Abel and 18-year-old A-ball catcher Eduardo Tait.

Durán, 27, is under club control through 2027, meaning the Phillies will have him for three postseason runs. He’s expected to slot into the ninth inning and bring triple-digit fastball velocity and swing-and-miss power to a bullpen that was sorely in need of both.

Andrew Painter started Wednesday, as scheduled, and threw a career-high 103 pitches in 6 1/3 innings.

That wouldn't have happened if the Phillies had any plans of trading him.

Painter remains all but untouchable, the Phillies refusing to discuss him in previous trade talks, even for ace lefty Garrett Crochet at last year's deadline. But you can't blame teams for asking, and according to multiple reports, the Twins and Athletics asked for Painter in conversations about closers Jhoan Duran and Mason Miller, respectively.

While much attention has been paid to the Twins as a potential trade partner for the Phillies, the Orioles are worth some thought.

For one, Baltimore has a couple of intriguing outfield bats that fit the profile of what the Phillies should be looking for. Two, they have a history with Dave Dombrowski, who matched up with them on two different trades at last year’s deadline.

Ramon Laureano figures to be at the top of a lot of team’s lists, given his .887 OPS and $6 million club option for next season. He’s joined by Tyler O’Neil, who hit 31 home runs with an .847 OPS for the Red Sox in 2024 and is currently heating up for the Orioles, having homered in four consecutive days. Both are right-handed bats who would give the Phillies a corner outfield solution beyond 2025

Bryce Harper floated the idea in spring training.

"I think obviously they like me at first base," he said. "But if something came up at the deadline that would make us a better team, or anything like that, I would obviously make the decision to go back out there [to the outfield] if they wanted me to. For the long term? Probably not. But for the short term, I definitely would."

Is it time for the Phillies to accept Harper's offer?

The Phillies remain one of the "primary teams" interested in acquiring Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez, according to MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand.

The Inquirer's Scott Lauber previously reported the Phillies have talked to the Diamondbacks about Suárez, who is currently in third place in the National League with 36 homers, one behind Kyle Schwarber.

Here's what Lauber wrote:

While the Phillies again look for outfield help at the trade deadline, a familiar face is having a career season: former first overall pick Mickey Moniak.

In Moniak’s last 30 games with the Colorado Rockies, the outfielder is hitting .324 with nine home runs. The numbers are even more impressive when you look at his last 15 games, during which he has hit .352, with a .400 on-base percentage. Moniak, 27, is slashing .269/.317/.534 with a career-high 16 home runs and 41 RBIs going into Wednesday.

Could Colorado, which has the worst record in the major leagues, look to move a surging Moniak to a team desperate for outfield help? Perhaps, but don’t expect him to be on the Phillies’ radar.

Welcome to the staring contest.

Even as the line between buyers and sellers becomes clearer, market forces are still shifting with ... checks clock ... 30 hours to go before baseball's trade deadline at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Phillies, according to multiple major league sources, continue to prioritize another late-inning reliever while also monitoring the market for a hitter, preferably in the outfield. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is meeting with his inner circle this week in Chicago, where the Phillies will close a three-game series with a Wednesday matinee against the White Sox.

With less than two days to go until Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline, two rival team officials said they believed the Phillies were aiming high in their pursuit of bullpen help.

But at what cost?

Under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies have been protective of their top prospects: right-hander Andrew Painter, shortstop Aidan Miller, and center fielder Justin Crawford.

Imagine the Phillies have a one-run lead and are three outs from winning a playoff game.

Whom do they want on the mound?

While the inventory of available late-inning relievers once seemed abundant, the week began amid whispers that supply might not meet demand and prices were still high.

The Phillies’ top priority before Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline remains improving the bullpen, multiple officials from rival teams said over the weekend. But they’re also exploring ways to add offense, with left field and center field as the most sensible positions to upgrade.

The team talked with the Diamondbacks about slugger Eugenio Suárez, who would join Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the middle of the order.

It wouldn’t be the cleanest fit. Suárez is a third baseman, and although Alec Bohm is out with a fractured left rib, the Phillies expect him to return next month. Trading for Suárez, then, eventually would require an undesirable countermove, such as putting Schwarber back in left field.

The Baltimore Orioles traded former Phillies reliever Seranthony Domínguez to Toronto on Tuesday — in between games of their day-night doubleheader against the Blue Jays.

Domínguez did not pitch in the opener, which the Orioles won 16-4. Then the trade — Domínguez for minor league right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown — was announced about an hour before the scheduled first pitch of the nightcap.

Domínguez is 2-3 with a 3.24 ERA in 43 relief appearances this season. The last-place Orioles have also traded away relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto as part of what has been a mild sell-off so far.

The MLB trade deadline is Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m.

Historically, the trade deadline always fell on July 31, but commissioner Rob Manfred is able to set the deadline any day between July 28 and Aug. 3, so it doesn't conflict with any games.

After the trade deadline expires, players on 40-man rosters can no longer be traded from club to club. Players can still be placed and claimed on outright waivers.