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The Phillies may end up selling at the trade deadline. If they do, the Rangers might be a good fit for their star closer.
The Philadelphia Phillies‘ season has gotten off to about as bad of a start as imaginable. The team is 10-19 and already 11 games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East. More than likely, the Phillies will be buried before long and begin thinking about selling at the trade deadline.
Their roster is aging after a disappointing finish to the 2025 season. They have some pieces that teams might be interested in at the deadline, particularly one of their top relievers.
Closer Jhoan Duran will be an interesting name to watch in the coming months. He is currently on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, and often times, those injuries take a little time to heal.
However, if he can come back before the deadline, the Phillies could potentially field interest in him. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that the Texas Rangers will land the top closer on the market, and that it could end up being Duran if the Phillies decide to sell.
“At the moment, it’s tough to say who the trade deadline’s best available closer might be,” Rymer wrote.
“It could be White Sox reliever Seranthony Domínguez, who has struggled to keep the ball in the yard, yet already has seven saves in the first season of a two-year, $20M deal.
“If the Phillies and Red Sox continue to flounder, maybe Jhoan Duran or Aroldis Chapman will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The former has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, while the latter is slated for $13M in 2027 if he logs at least 40 innings pitched in 2026. Either one is more than good enough to be the primary closer for a World Series hopeful.”
Despite his injury, Duran has performed well this season. In seven appearances, he has recorded five saves and is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA. He also has one year left of team control, so if the Phillies do decide to shop him, they could potentially get a solid return for him.
The window may be closing for the Phillies, but it would be a good idea to capitalize on the value of their star closer while they still can, especially two years before he hits free agency.
That could boost his value and help the Phillies get a better return for him if they can’t get back into the race.
After a dreadful start, the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson and handed the reins over to bench coach Don Mattingly in an interim capacity. They won their first game under Mattingly, but it remains to be seen if they can keep it up.
If they can turn things around, then there would be no sense in trading Duran away, but if not, he could be a very popular name at the deadline. The Phillies still have a lot of time left to determine which path they will take at the deadline on August 3.
Curt Bishop Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who has written for various outlets including Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, FanSided, The Sporting News, Newsweek and Yardbarker. His work entails mostly breaking and trending news with a concentration on Major League Baseball (MLB). Curt graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in communications with a focus on emerging and new media, as well as a music minor. More about Curt Bishop
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