Phillies

“This is My Dream Come True,” Says Jhoan Duran of Phillies Trade

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Aug 1st, 2025 · 4:49 PM EDT

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Jhoan Duran has yet to throw a pitch for the Phillies, and he’s already the nastiest reliever this team has had in a really, really long time.

Duran, 27, has a 2.01 ERA in 49.1 innings this year, logging 16 saves, 53 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP. He’s one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in all of baseball, with his four-seamer averaging 100.2 in 2025.

The Phillies haven’t had a true closer since Jonathan Papelbon. Now, they have their guy, and Duran couldn’t be any more excited to come to Philadelphia with hopes of winning a championship:

“I feel so excited right now,” Duran said ahead of Friday night’s game. “I feel great, it’s an honor to be a part of this team. This is my dream come true. I can’t explain it, too many emotions. I feel really, really good to be here. I know I have a chance to win a World Series. I want it. I’m going to give 110%”

Duran’s turned into one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball over the last few years, and was the best arm traded at this year’s deadline. The Twins’ original asking price was Andrew Painter, according to multiple reports, but Dave Dombrowski was able to get it done for Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait.

Duran said to reporters that he’s already been welcomed in by the team. The clubhouse is excited to have a guy with Duran’s skillset. They know that if they take a lead into the 9th inning, in most scenarios, the game is probably over.

“I felt a little sad in that moment, because I had to leave my teammates. I was chilling at home, and they called me and told me I was traded,” Duran said. “But I was also very excited to come here with this team.”

Duran is a high-profile arm with an electric entrance. The Twins went to him a few years back and told him they had something special for him. He loved it. It’s stuck, and the same entrance will play in Philadelphia.

“I can’t explain that. Right now, I can see the fire on the stadium. I’m excited,” added Duran, as the Phillies tested out their graphics. The stadium scoreboards will be covered in fire, with tarantulas hidden in that fire. Duran said that a few members of the Twins strength training staff started calling him “Durantula” a few years back, and it stuck.

The Phillies now have flexibility with guys like Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. Those two guys will be primarily 7th and 8th inning relievers. Of course, if Duran isn’t available, Kerkering and Strahm can be closers here and there. But the 9th inning is Duran’s, said Rob Thomson earlier on Friday afternoon:

“He’s really good. He’s one of the best in the game, if he’s not the best. It just moves everybody up an inning. We’ve got Strahm and Kerkering as your true setup guys. We’ve got Banks, Romano, Lazar. We’ve got DRob (David Robertson) coming, we’ve got (Jose) Alvarado coming at some point”

Thomson, who has worn #59 since coming to Philadelphia, said it wasn’t a hard decision to give up his number. The manager called Duran, who didn’t want to take the number from the manager. Thomson said the number didn’t mean much to him, and if the number means something to you, then it’s all yours, so Duran will wear #59. There’s not really a meaning behind it. Duran said it’s the number the Twins gave him, but it’s now just turned into his thing. He said his wife almost cried when they heard he could keep the number. His number is in big letters at the bottom of his pool at his house in the Dominican Republic. He’s turned a random number into something he doesn’t want to lose.

Duran will bring fire (on the mound and on the scoreboard) to this Phillies bullpen, which has struggled this season. The loss of Jose Alvarado was a major blow. Now, they have their next closer for at least the next 2.5 years.