A pair of Twins have joined the roster
The dust has finally settled on the 2025 MLB trade deadline, and the Phillies under Dave Dombrowski were more involved than they have been since 2022. Their final haul was closer Jhoan Durán and outfielder Harrison Bader, both formerly of the Minnesota Twins. They also made a minor move that was announced just after the deadline, acquiring former first round pick Matt Manning from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Josueth Quiñonez.
The cost for the two MLB pieces combined across two separate deals was Mick Abel, Eduardo Tait, Hendry Mendez, and Geremy Villoria. Their rankings among the Phillies farm system according to Baseball America are 6th, 3rd, 17th, and unranked. Tait was the first top 100 prospect traded at the deadline.
Durán is widely recognized as one of the best closers in the sport and is under team control through 2027. His fastball velocity in 2025 has averaged 100.2 MPH, which is actually the lowest it’s been in his four-year career. He’s started throwing his unique “splinker” more, a pitch that acts as a combination of a split-finger and a sinker. It has been a rousing success, as opposing hitters are hitting .221 off of the pitch with a 26.5% whiff rate to go with a run value of 9 that grades it out as a tie for the best in baseball for s split-finger pitch. He has a 2.01 ERA across 49 appearances in 2025 and is 16 for 18 in save opportunities.
Bader is in the midst of a career year, as he’s slashing .258/.339/.439 with 12 home runs. He’s stayed mostly healthy this year apart from a minor finger injury, something he hasn’t been able to do for much of his career. His .778 OPS would be the best among Phillies outfielders, but there are some red flags that regression may be about to rear its ugly head. Bader’s .322 BABIP, .225 xBA, and .385 xSLUG all point to him vastly outhitting his underlying metrics. His 117 wRC+ is also much higher than his career average of 93. Still, if Bader’s bat regresses to his career norms, he will still bring elite defense to the Phillies outfield. A former Gold Glove winner, Bader has already been worth 13 defensive runs saved and 5 OAA in the outfield this season primarily playing left field with Byron Buxton in center.
On the flip side, Abel was always probable to be traded after resurrecting his value. He was likely blocked from contributing much more to the Phillies rotation this season and would’ve needed a move to the bullpen to stick on the MLB roster. Tait was one of the better prospects moved at the deadline across baseball, but he won’t turn 19 for another couple of weeks and is at a minimum 3-4 years away from the Majors. His bat may haunt the Phillies down the line, but his work in progress status behind the plate and timeline made him a likely trade candidate for a big name. Abel and Tait being able to land the Phillies a controllable reliever of the caliber of Durán appears to be a boon when compared to the prices of other relievers at the deadline, most notably Mason Miller.
Mendez meanwhile is a corner outfielder that is in need of a 40-man roster spot to avoid the Rule 5 draft. He is hitting .290 with an .808 OPS in 85 games at Reading in his first season at Double-A as a 21-year-old. Villoria is a 16-year-old pitcher who has made 5 starts in the Dominican Summer League and owns a 4.50 ERA.
So, what do you think of the Phillies moves this deadline? Did they improve enough for your liking? Should they have done more? Did they give up too much? Or was it worth it considering what they brought in?