There was a time when it would have sounded crazy to think the Los Angeles Dodgers would be desperate for pitching help during the 2025 season.
After another offseason of stockpiling pitching talent (Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates), the Dodgers have suffered another regular season full of injuries. Case in point: only Scott remains on the active roster of the four names listed above.
It’s not as though the Dodgers are in danger of missing the playoffs, but they can certainly be expected to pursue pitchers at the trade deadline, both in the rotation and bullpen. And they’ve shown throughout the last few seasons that they won’t be aiming small.
Still, one baseball writer’s prospective Dodgers trade target might be too good to be true.
On Thursday, ClutchPoints’ Garrett Kerman named Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran as an ideal midseason Dodgers acquisition, suggesting they could send outfield prospect Josue De Paula back to Minnesota in a one-for-one swap.
“Duran would give (the Dodgers) a dominant weapon to pair with Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol, solidifying the back end of their bullpen for both the stretch run and multiple playoff runs to come. The cost is significant, but the Dodgers’ depth allows them to make such a move without mortgaging their future,” Kerman wrote.
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“With top prospects like Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez already in the system, adding someone like De Paula would give the Twins one of the most dynamic young outfields in baseball within a couple of years.”
Duran, 27, sports a 1.07 ERA in 25 innings this season, striking out 30 and picking up nine saves. He’s one of the most electric arms in the sport, with a four-seam fastball that regularly touches 100 miles per hour and a devastating splinker.
Of course, trading for Duran would likely require the Twins to be on the outskirts of playoff contention, so the fact that they’re currently 30-25 isn’t a great sign for the Dodgers. Plus, he’s under control for two more years, so there’s not much pressure here on Minnesota.
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