At the MLB trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies made two moves that, so far, have been incredible moves. They acquired Harrison Bader, the team's new everyday center fielder, and Jhoan Duran, the team's closer, both from the Minnesota Twins.
After surpassing the New York Mets in the NL East, the Phillies, after winning the first two games of a four-game series against the Mets, sit nine games up with a magic number of nine in the NL East. The deadline moves have been a huge part of this surge lately.
Bryson Stott, in a piece from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, shared a five-word message on the Phillies' deadline moves. He praised Dave Dombrowski for the additions and was overwhelmingly positive about the team's stance post-deadline.
Bryson Stott Shares Five-Word Message For Dave Dombrowski's Trade Deadline Moves
"The moves were really good," Stott said, "Obviously, some good players."
Duran was acquired from the Twins the day before the trade deadline, and on deadline day, Bader was the big pickup offensively for the Phillies. Both have been great moves for the Phillies this season.
Bader, since coming to Philadelphia, has played in 33 games and has 35 hits, 19 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 13 RBIs, nine walks, 31 strikeouts, and a .333 batting average with a .932 OPS.
Combined with incredible centerfield defense, Bader has been instrumental as part of the Phillies' success this season. He's already amounted to 1.1 WAR with the Phillies, a sign that he's been a huge part of the team in a short amount of time.
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While he's been awesome, Duran has arguably been even better. He's he team's new closer, and has been a significant improvement for the bullpen, especially with Jordan Romano no longer in the fold.
Duran has appeared in 16 games for the Phillies, with 12 saves in 13 opportunities, and has a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched. He's allowed 12 hits, two earned runs, and 17 strikeouts with no walks or home runs allowed.
The Phillies have gotten some incredible production from both of their trade deadline pickups, and Stott's acknowledgement of the moves is echoed by the Phillies fanbase.
Without these deadline moves, the Phillies might not be in such a commanding lead of the NL East. As Stott puts it, Dombrowski's deadline moves in 2025 were "really good."
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