Dodgers proposed blockbuster brings 1.66 ERA closer to Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers are used to getting what they want. And with the trade deadline approaching, it sure seems like they want bullpen help.

For all the talent the Dodgers entered the season with in the relief pitching department, the injury risks have proven to be too high. Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, and a half-dozen others have all spent significant time on the injured list.

Even if all of those names are back, the Dodgers are likely to want one more high-leverage flamethrower to shore things up at the end of games. Closer Tanner Scott is left-handed, so a righty would make sense here.

One baseball writer believes the Minnesota Twins could have the righty the Dodgers seek most of all.

On Wednesday, Zach Lutz of Just Baseball named Twins closer Jhoan Duran as a top prospective trade target for the Dodgers at the Jul. 31 deadline.

"If the Twins are selling, Duran is the top prize. A flamethrower averaging over 100 mph with a devastating splinker and wipeout curve. He has a 1.66 ERA, hasn’t allowed a homer in 2025, and is under team control through 2027," Lutz wrote.

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"The price will be steep, but he is the guy to transform and anchor this bullpen. Duran could provide a sense of late-game calm that has eluded Dodger fans through the first 97 games."

Duran, 27, is the Platonic ideal of a closer in many ways. Electric arm, intimidating mound presence, and solid control for someone with his stuff. The extra years of control will make his price tag lofty, but the Dodgers might be prepared to pay up.

He'd make the Dodgers that much tougher to play against in October, and the rest of the league should be trembling if they can make it happen.

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