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21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jhoan Duran trade grades: Breaking down Phillies-Twins deal
Dave Dombrowski finally did it. Just ahead of Major League Baseball's trade deadline day, the Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations made a big splash by landing one of the top closers on the market — Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins for Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. The move by the Phillies is a big one with the team in a "win now" stage with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber towards the end of their primes or on expiring contracts. Here's how we're grading the Jhoan Duran trade from the Twins to the Phillies: REQUIRED READING: MLB trade deadline rumors: Latest news and updates from around baseball Jhoan Duran trade details Phillies receive: RHP Johan Duran Twins receive: RHP Mick Abel, C Eduardo Tait The Phillies acquired star right-handed closer Johan Duran from the Twins for prospects Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. Jhoan Duran trade grades Phillies: A Going into this week, it was no secret that the Phillies needed to bolster their bullpen in a big way. Their big offseason bullpen move of signing Jordan Romano (one year, $8.5 million) hasn't worked out and star left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado is currently serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for PEDs. Alvarado is not eligible for the postseason. When the reliever market began to heat up on Wednesday, reports began to surface that the Phillies would likely need to give up their No. 1 prospect (Andrew Painter) in addition to other top prospects in a package for a high-end reliever like Duran. The odds of Dombrowski landing a reliever seemingly started to dwindle. He confirmed to reporters in Chicago after the Phillies' loss to the White Sox that the team wasn't going to trade Painter. Dombrowski then made a big acquisition while not having to give up Painter, who is throwing in Triple-A right now and working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Got to give Dombrowski credit for this. Landing a reliever like Duran is a big get for the Phillies, whose bullpen is ranked No. 24 in MLB with a 4.33 ERA. At 27 years old, Duran is also under team control for an additional two full seasons, which aligns with their current window with Harper, Wheeler and others. One of the top relievers on the market, Duran's fastball is electric and averages 100.2 mph, which will certainly work late in games for manager Rob Thomson. In four seasons with the Twins, Duran has posted a 2.47 ERA and 74 saves. That, too, will play for the Phillies, who haven't had a surefire, lockdown closer since Jonathan Papelbon. The Phillies have their closer of the future. Not a bad way to go into Thursday's trade deadline for Dombrowski and his staff. "We would not have paid this price for a rental," Dombrowki told reporters in Chicago after the Phillies officially announced the trade. Enough said by the future Hall of Famer. Twins: B+ Though the Twins didn't get a prospect of Painter's caliber back for Duran, Minnesota still did rather well in its return for the closer. Headlining the package for the Twins is Abel, a former first-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2015 who has pitched at the major league level this season. Called up on May 18 to fill the spot in the rotation for an injured Aaron Nola, Abel posted a 2-2 record with a 5.04 ERA across six starts and 25 innings pitched. Abel, the Phillies' No. 6-ranked prospect, struggled over his final starts, which ultimately led to him being optioned back to Triple-A. Abel specifically struggled with his command, as he gave up nine runs and five walks in his final two outings vs. the Mets and Padres. Though he will be sent to Triple-A, he is a major league-ready arm for the Twins, should they have a need in the coming days and weeks. Then there is Tait, who is the first Top 100 Prospect traded at the deadline since 2023 and the highest-ranked since 2022. At 18 years old and playing as high as Single-A, Tait is viewed more as a project prospect. He does possess some power and has a grade score of 60 for his arm, according to MLB Pipeline. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jhoan Duran trade grades: Phillies-Twins deadline deal breakdown
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A year after camp knee injury, former starter Derion Kendrick fights for a role with the Rams
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year after Derion Kendrick tore his knee ligament in the first practice of training camp, the Los Angeles Rams' former starting cornerback is fighting to reclaim a prominent role on a defense that was forced to move on without him. Kendrick didn't grind through a year of rehab to give up now — not even after the Rams waived him last month and brought him back at a lower salary. He could have gone elsewhere, but Kendrick says he was determined to continue what he started in Los Angeles. 'I love the people here," Kendrick said Wednesday. "I've built so many relationships in this organization, and I've got so much love for it. And I know the playbook like the back of my hand, so I wouldn't want to be nowhere else, for real.' Although the former sixth-round pick started 18 games over his first two seasons, Kendrick knows he has to compete for a roster spot this summer, let alone his former job. Kendrick has been working mostly with the Rams' second-team defense in camp. Starters Darious Williams and Cobie Durant are back for LA, and veteran Ahkello Witherspoon still occupies the role he seized last season after Kendrick's injury. The Rams also have praised Emmanuel Forbes, the former Commanders first-round selection picked up on waivers late last season. 'Just being a competitor, I always want to be the first one going out there,' he said. 'But right now, I'm just stacking my days, getting better each day.' Kendrick has still made enough plays to earn praise from coach Sean McVay and his staff. 'He's handled himself really well,' McVay said. 'He's got great instincts and a great concept trigger. He's worked really hard. You see the amount of time and effort that goes into getting yourself back, and he's even stronger than before. He's really smart and understands what's going on big-picture. His teammates love him. He just loves the game, and I've been really pleased with the steps that he's taken.' Winning at every level Kendrick has been a prolific winner throughout an impressive football career slowed only by off-field setbacks. He won two state titles as a high school quarterback in South Carolina, and he famously won College Football Playoff championships at both Clemson and Georgia. In between, he was dismissed by the Tigers for disciplinary issues shortly before he was arrested in 2021 when police found him asleep in his car with a gun. Kendrick started six games as a Rams rookie, and he had an even larger role in 2023 before he was arrested in an early-morning traffic stop hours after a game. He spent nearly three days in custody and faced two misdemeanor gun charges. Kendrick's role and playing time shrank on a playoff-bound team. He returned to training camp eager for a fresh start, only to injure his knee immediately and miss out on the Rams' unlikely NFC West title and playoff run. 'I've never had an injury like this in my career, so having people around me that have been through it and let me know how I need to go about it, they helped me through this past year to keep my head down and keep working,' he said. Seizing the controller Mindful of his own past, Kendrick also changed his life off the field. 'I'm trying not to be outside as much,' he said with a grin. 'I game a lot now. (NBA) 2K, Call of Duty. So I try to stay in the house with gaming, and then if I'm not on the game with my kids, then I'm with my other immediate family. Pretty chill.' The Rams waived Kendrick before minicamp, only to re-sign him four days later at a lower salary than he would have made under the performance escalators in his original deal. Kendrick said the coaches already told him they wanted him back before the move, and he readily agreed. Kendrick said he finally felt 100% confident in his injury recovery a few weeks before training camp. Heading into a vital month of preseason play for his career, he still knows exactly where he wants to go. 'One of my goals is All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those type of things, and then my goal other than the personal accolades is just to win the Super Bowl,' Kendrick said. 'Finish out my wins throughout my career. I won at the high school level. I won at the college level. Now it's time to finish it out at the professional level, win that Super Bowl — and then for myself, just going to get that gold jacket.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
McDonald scores a career-high 27 and the short-handed Fever beat the Mercury for 3rd straight win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Aari McDonald scored a career-high 27 points, Aliyah Boston had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 107-101 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Indiana star Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a right groin injury and there's no timetable for her return. The Fever improved to 7-7 without Clark this season. Boston scored Indiana's opening 14 points of the fourth quarter for an 88-79 lead. She finished with her fourth straight double-double. Indiana's 10th 3-pointer came on Chloe Bibby's shot from the corner with 5:27 remaining to make it 91-83. Then Sophie Cunningham was fouled while making a 3-pointer and she made the free throw for an 11-point lead. Cunningham and Damiris Dantas each scored 12 points for Indiana (15-12), which scored 100-plus for the third time this season. Kelsey Mitchell, who scored a season-high 35 points on Sunday, was held to eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. Alyssa Thomas led Phoenix (16-10) with 32 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Kahleah Copper, who played in her 10th game this season, added 22 points and Sami Whitcomb scored 18. The Mercury have lost four of their last five games. Indiana dominated the second quarter, scoring 35 points to take a 55-50 lead into the break. Phoenix only made one field goal in the final three minutes of the period, with Whitcomb just beating the halftime buzzer on a long 3-pointer. Familiar faces In the first of three meetings this season, Cunningham faced the Mercury for the first time after spending her first six professional seasons in Phoenix. DeWanna Bonner went against the Fever for the first time since departing the team earlier this season. Bonner went 1 of 4 from the field in 21 minutes. ___ AP WNBA:
