On Friday night, Jhoan Duran was doing normal Jhoan Duran stuff, when he took a screaming comebacker off his foot near the ankle. He was unable to put any weight on the foot in the immediate aftermath of that, and needed to be carted off the field. From a baseball standpoint, this was a brutal moment, as the Phillies’ (new) best reliever seemed destined to hit the shelf for at least a while—and maybe the season. From a human standpoint, this was also a tough break, as Duran was very durable during his time in a Twins uniform and is having (arguably) his best big-league season.
Luckily for him (and Phillies and Twins fans), X-rays came back negative. He should be back in action sooner, rather than later. It’s good news, too, because he has been on fire since the trade. That prompts the question: how have the rest of the players sent away at the deadline been faring with their new clubs? Who has been hot? Has anyone been a train wreck? Let’s check in on all 11 players moved at the deadline.
Jhoan Duran
It’s only fair to start with him; don’t want to bury the lede. The Twins sent him to Philly set up for success, complete with his usual entrance music and video. He has quickly shown fans how filthy he is. Since becoming a member of the Phillies, he’s come into five games. In four innings, he has four saves, has not allowed a run, hasn’t walked anyone, and has allowed just two hits. I don’t know about you, but I miss having him anchoring the bullpen. At least there’s this:
Griffin Jax
Much like Duran has been doing Duran stuff, Griffin Jax has also been doing Griffin Jax stuff. That is to say: his underlying metrics look good, but man, the results haven’t been pretty. With the Rays, he has come into seven games. In 5 2/3 innings, he has struck out seven, walked two, and has given up just four hits. Despite that, he has given up four runs, taken a loss, and is sitting on a 6.35 ERA with a very mediocre 3.99 FIP. As nasty as he is, and as good as his stuff is, he may just be one of those players whose results are always worse than expected.
Brock Stewart
Like the guys before him, Beef Stew has been doing the expected with the Dodgers. In his case, that means getting injured. He’s pitched four times, to a 4.91 ERA and a marginally better 3.93 FIP. He has allowed way too many baserunners (including six hits and two walks) across 3 2/3 innings. He hit the shelf with a shoulder injury within a week. You gotta feel for a guy that has had as many injury concerns as he has.
Louis Varland
Varland has been nails since being traded to the Blue Jays. He has continued his trend of pitching basically every other day, and has struck out fully a third of the hitters he has faced. With a WHIP of 1.00, he has shown himself capable of taking on closer duties, and that just may happen before the year is over.
Danny Coulombe
Remember just how good Coulombe was for so long with the Twins? Remember when he didn’t allow a run until June? Remember when he was the ultimate fireman, often coming into jams and then wriggling out of them without damage? Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Rangers were hoping for that guy when they traded Garrett Horn to the Twins. Instead, since donning a Rangers uniform, Coulombe has given up four runs in 5 2/3 innings, and, well, this sort of speaks for itself:
Chris Paddack
Conversely, remember that stretch Paddack had in May, where his results were great, despite shaky underlying metrics? You know, when he wasn’t striking anyone out and sort of danced through raindrops? Well, good news. That’s the version the Tigers got. He’s striking even fewer people out for them than for the Twins, yet has pitched to a 3.45 ERA (4.64 FIP). It’s fair to assume he will come back down to Earth and look every bit the fifth starter his current talent level suggests he should pitch like. Meanwhile, Enrique Jimenez, the catcher the Tigers sent the Twins in return for Paddack, has done this:
Randy Dobnak
The Dobber is languishing in Toledo, playing for the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate. Okay results, tons of strikeouts, but allowing tons of hits. All the best to him. It’s fair to wonder what may have been if not for the finger injuries on his throwing hand. Hopefully, he will get one more chance to carve out a major-league career for himself.
Carlos Correa
You… might want to sit down for this one. The Twins signed Correa to play like a superstar for them. In 2024, he did, for the half-season he played. Aside from that, he was just sort of average. To be sure, his time back with the Astros is the very definition of a small sample—just 12 games. But you know what he’s done so far? Played like a superstar. He’s got a .914 OPS and is hitting .340, good for a 158 wRC+. That’s right, he’s been 58% better than an average player. He’s doing it lower down the defensive spectrum, but it’s possible spending his time at the hot corner may have been what he needed. It may be fun to keep track of how he’s doing the rest of the way. Oh, and Astros fans are very excited to have him back.
Harrison Bader
As a Twins player, Bader hit way better than anyone expected, given his history as a mostly mediocre bat. The Twins signed him for his fielding, and I’m sure they were pleasantly surprised by what they got. The Phillies, on the other hand, got the Harrison Bader from the past several seasons. You know, the one that fields great but doesn’t hit his weight. Across 35 plate appearances, he’s put up a .586 OPS (31% worse than average). He has continued to be a cool vibes guy, as we all would expect.
Willi Castro
Read what I wrote about Bader, now subtract about .300 points of OPS. He hasn’t walked once, and has one extra-base hit in nine games. He will probably turn it around soon… unless, maybe, just maybe, Willi Castro was destined to only be good as a member of the Twins. He has continued to play all over the field, and I’m sure he’s been plenty fun to watch.
Ty France
France, somewhat surprisingly, has hit like a first baseman since joining the Blue Jays. With an .872 OPS, he has hit for average, walked a bit, and hit for power. He’s been 49% better than average by wRC+
So there you have it. All 11 players the Twins moved. Bader, Castro, Jax, Coulombe, and Stewart have played worse in a small sample than they did for the Twins. Dobnak, Paddack, Varland, and Duran have performed about the same, and Correa and France have played much better. What do you think? Any surprises?