The National League East race between the Mets and the Phillies promises to be a tight one until the very end, and both teams made moves to fortify their bullpens on Wednesday.

While the Phillies addressed their closer questions with the acquisition of Jhoan Duran from the Twins, the Mets pulled off a pair of big deals to acquire Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals and Tyler Rogers from the Giants.

The Trades:

Mets acquired RHP Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals for INF prospect Jesus Baez, and RHP prospects Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt.

Mets acquired RHP Tyler Rogers from the Giants for RHPs Blade Tidwell and José Buttó, and prospect OF Drew Gilbert.

Mets Impact:

The bullpen was an obvious area of need going into the trade deadline, as the Mets have lost several trusted arms due to injury over the past couple of months, but the question was whether David Stearns and company would go more quantity over quality. Well, so far they've gone with both quantity and quality.

Edwin Díaz is as good as it gets in the ninth inning, but now there's a legitimate three-headed monster in the late innings for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Both Helsley and Rogers are due to become free agents following the season, so the Mets paid a pretty penny for rentals to ensure that their bullpen is October-ready.

Helsley, 31, has been one of the game's best closers since moving into the role for St. Louis in 2022. With a high-octane fastball and untouchable slider, he's posted 103 saves and a 2.03 ERA with 266 strikeouts in 203 2/3 innings during that time.

Rogers couldn't be more different than Helsley, what with his submariner-delivery and low-to-mid 80s sinker, but he's been one of the game's best relievers anyway. The 34-year-old holds a 2.79 ERA over seven seasons in the majors, all with the Giants. After leading the league with 77 appearances last season, he's doing again this year (53 games) while posting a 1.80 ERA over 50 innings. In addition to being a ground ball machine, he's walked just 10 batters in 120 1/3 innings dating back to the start of last season.

It seems like an afterthought now, but the Mets already picked up left-hander Gregory Soto from the Orioles over the weekend. Add this new crew to Díaz, Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek, and Brooks Raley, and you have a very stout group built for a long playoff run.

By the way, a fun fact: Tyler's twin brother Taylor was also traded on Wednesday, as he was sent to the Pirates in the Ke’Bryan Hayes deal. If you were curious if brothers have ever been traded on the same day before, we're here to confirm that it has never happened.

Giants Impact:

It wasn't too long ago that the Giants looked like they were in it to win it, but things have changed in recent weeks. While it has been a disappointing turn of events, especially after the blockbuster trade for Rafael Devers, the Giants did very well in the return package for Rogers.

Buttó broke out as a member of the Mets' bullpen last year, but things haven't gone nearly as smoothly for him this season. Still, the 27-year-old misses plenty of bats and keeps the ball on the ground, so he's an intriguing pickup for San Francisco. The club could keep him in the bullpen or potentially give him another chance to start.

According to MLB Pipeline, Tidwell was the Mets' No. 10 prospect while Gilbert was No. 12. Tidwell, a hard-throwing right-hander, made his major league debut earlier this season. Gilbert, 24, was acquired from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade two years ago. He's put together a .246/.349/.435 batting line with 12 homers and 46 RBI over 81 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season. Both will surely get chances with the Giants in short order.

Cardinals Impact:

The Cardinals managed to nab the best prospect the Mets parted with on Wednesday, as Baez ranked No. 8 on the team's list according to MLB Pipeline. Still just 20 years old, he's a right-handed hitter with intriguing power potential and a solid approach. He's mostly played with High-A Brooklyn this season while slashing .242/.332/.390 with 10 homers over 69 games. He's been mentioned as a shortstop in reports of the trade, but has also played second base and third base this season.

Dohm, a third-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2024, has posted a 2.87 ERA over 17 starts and one relief appearance this season between Class A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. The 23-year-old was also drafted last year (19th round) and has pitched between St. Lucie and Brooklyn this year while compiling a 3.04 ERA and 65/21 K/BB ratio in 56 1/3 innings (seven starts, 13 relief appearances). While interesting, Baez is the centerpiece for St. Louis.

Fantasy Impact:

In all likelihood, nothing much will change for Edwin Díaz. Perhaps we'll see him lose a couple of save chances with the luxury of a deeper bullpen, but he should still be the top dog in the Mets' bullpen. The real adjustment fantasy-wise will be with Ryan Helsley. When his name was mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks, the expectation was that he would go somewhere to close and maintain most or all of his fantasy value. It's a much, much tougher case now, even if the strikeouts and ratios will be helpful.

As for the Cardinals, they probably aren't done making trades. so it's hard to pin down the closer situation just yet. Phil Maton is a logical name to go, and it's possible JoJo Romero will be dealt as well. One name to watch in fantasy leagues is Riley O'Brien. You don't hear about 30-year-old rookies very often, but he's earned his keep with a 1.75 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings.

The first big domino of the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline fell on Wednesday night when the Twins traded their closer, Jhoan Durán, to the Phillies for RHP Mick Abel and catching prospect Eduardo Tait.

We know Durán is one of the premier closers in baseball, so what does this mean for the Phillies in 2025, and should Twins fans be happy with the return package?

What does Jhoan Durán bring to the Phillies?

A lights-out, lockdown reliever. The 27-year-old Durán has a career 2.47 ERA and 74 saves in 233.2 MLB innings. This season, he's pitching to a 2.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 53/18 K/BB ratio in 40.1 innings while racking up 16 saves. He does have his lowest strikeout rate of his career, and his fastball velocity has dipped, but Durán is still averaging over 100.3 mph on the pitch. He pairs that with a dominant splitter that averaged 97.5 mph with a solid 15.7% swinging strike rate, and a curveball that he throws 21% of the time and has an impressive 17.6% swinging strike rate on its own.

In his career, Durán has allowed just a .193 batting average in high-leverage situations with a .273 slugging percentage and a 27% strikeout rate. Not only does he immediately give the Phillies one of the best late-inning arms in baseball, but he has two more years of team control. Durán is making $4.125 million this season and has two more years of arbitration before he becomes a free agent. While the Twins may have been concerned about how high his salary would rise in arbitration, a big market team like the Phillies has no such worries. Durán will immediately step into a closer role for them this season and likely for the next two seasons as well.

Who are Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait, and how do they fit with the Twins?

Mick Abel is the name that most people will recognize here. The 23-year-old was the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft and made a real leap this season in Triple-A. There were some concerns about his elevated walk rate coming into this season, but he cut his walks from 5.16 BB/9 in 113.1 minor league innings last year to 3.89 BB/9 in 74 minor league innings this year. That's a substantial improvement. He also posted a dominant enough statline at Triple-A (2.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 26.6% strikeout rate) that he worked his way into the Phillies' rotation.

His overall numbers in six starts with the Phillies aren't great, registering a 5.04 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 21/9 K/BB ratio in 25 innings; however, three of his six starts were relatively impressive. He has an above-average four-seam fastball that's 96.2 mph with good extension and a solid approach angle that makes it a flat fastball that succeeds up in the zone. He posted an 81st percentile swinging strike rate on it during his six big league starts. He pairs that with a curveball that grades out as just average in pitch models, but posted a 16.7% swinging strike rate and well above average zone rates, and a slider that is a true below-average offering. Abel rounds out his pitch mix with a sinker he uses almost exclusively to righties and a show-me changeup that leaves a lot to be desired.

As he is right now, Abel is a solid middle-to-back-of-the-rotation arm without true strikeout upside. However, Minnesota has done a good job developing pitching talent over the last few years, getting career seasons out of Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, and turning Zebby Matthews into a high-end pitching prospect. If they can get more out of Abel's slider, there is another level of development here that could make him a good real-life second or third starter.

Eduardo Tait is the player in this deal many won't know, but he's the 56th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and was selected to this year's Futures Game. The 18-year-old catching prospect is a bit of a lottery ticket upside because he's hitting .255/.319/.434 in 82 games between Single-A and High-A with 11 home runs. He is raw defensively and may not be a catcher long-term, but he is a powerful hitter from the left side of the plate who has shown a solid contact profile this season. He makes a lot of hard contact, and if he can turn into even an average defender, that would be a huge win for the Phillies, considering the offensive upside that he could bring.

What is the fantasy impact of this trade?

We know Durán will slot in as the Phillies' closer, and they have tended to use just one closer under manager Rob Thomson, so there may be no fireman role here for Durán, especially since the Phillies could use newly signed David Robertson for that purpose. Of course, that means any hopes of Robertson or Orion Kerkering registering saves in Philadelphia are pretty much out the window right now. Durán does get a slight bump in value though.

Even though Mick Abel is being sent to Triple-A, you'd have to expect he makes some starts for the Twins this season. It's likely that the Twins already have some tweaks in mind for Abel's approach or his grips, and they'd rather work on that with him in Triple-A than in the majors. Whether Abel gets innings with the Twins in August or September likely depends on the health of David Festa and Pablo Lopez. Right now, the Twins have one spot open in the rotation, with Pierson Ohl getting a crack at the job on Tuesday, so Lopez or Festa will take that spot if they're healthy enough to return. If not, Abel could get some chances down the stretch and seems like a lock to open the 2026 season in the Twins' rotation.

This also means that Andrew Painter is the sixth starter on the Phillies; although, that will likely become the seventh starter once Aaron Nola is back. It still feels unlikely Painter makes a major fantasy impact in 2025, but he should be considered a likely candidate to be in the Phillies' rotation in 2026.

Tait is, obviously, much farther away; although, I guess this is a slight downgrade to his dynasty stock since he will eventually play for a (likely) worse offense and in a worse offensive environment. Still, it shouldn't impact his value too much since he's only 18 years old.

Final takeaways from the Jhoan Durán trade

Overall, this is not a bad return for the Twins. They got two players who are currently listed in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects, including one who can quickly join their rotation. However, considering the initial rumors were that the Twins were holding out for Andrew Painter, the Phillies' top pitching prospect, it has to feel like a win for the Phillies that they were able to make this deal without trading away any of their top three prospects: Painter, outfielder Justin Crawford, and infielder Aidan Miller. Given how brutal the Phillies' bullpen was in last year's playoffs, this was a monumental move for them to make.

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners acquired left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, giving their bullpen another arm as they make a playoff push.

Seattle sent right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez to Pittsburgh.

The 29-year-old Ferguson is 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 43 1/3 innings this season and joins a Mariners bullpen that ranks seventh in the majors in ERA at 3.74. Ferguson is making $3 million this year and is eligible for free agency after next season.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound left-hander has a 3.69 ERA in 308 appearances over seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Pirates.

“We are excited to add Caleb and fortify our bullpen down the stretch,” Mariners executive vice president and general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement. “He’s been one of the most reliable left-handed relievers in the game and adds postseason experience to our group.”

Seattle entered Wednesday in position for the third and final American League wild-card spot.

The 19-year-old Martinez has a 6.18 ERA in 16 starts for Class A Modesto. A native of Mexico, he was rated as the Mariners’ No. 13 overall prospect.

The Mariners also designated right-hander Collin Snider for assignment after reinstating him from the 15-day injured list.

NEW YORK — The busy New York Mets made another trade Wednesday to strengthen their injury-depleted bullpen, acquiring right-hander Tyler Rogers from the fading San Francisco Giants for three players.

New York sent pitchers José Buttó and Blade Tidwell to the Giants, along with minor league outfield prospect Drew Gilbert. Tidwell was at Triple-A Syracuse after making two starts and two relief appearances for the Mets this season.

The deal came on the same day Rogers’ twin brother Taylor was also traded, from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh in the three-player swap that moved Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds.

Tyler Rogers is 4-3 with a 1.80 ERA this season, using his drastic submarine delivery to great effect. The 34-year-old reliever has struck out 38 batters and walked only four in 50 innings, tying for the major league lead with 53 appearances.

He should give Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, in need of dependable bullpen options, another experienced arm to help set up All-Star closer Edwin Díaz.

New York obtained left-hander Gregory Soto, a two-time All-Star, in a trade with Baltimore last Friday and entered Wednesday with a half-game lead in the NL East over rival Philadelphia.

Tyler Rogers, who can become a free agent following the World Series, is 26-20 with a 2.79 ERA and 19 saves in seven major league seasons — all with the Giants.

CHICAGO — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran on Wednesday, trading two top prospects to the Minnesota Twins for the hard-throwing reliever.

A person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a review of medical records.

Duran has 16 saves and a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances this season, striking out 53 in 49 1/3 innings.

Catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel were shipped off to Minnesota in the deal. Tait, 18, is batting .255 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs across two minor league stops this year, and Abel, 23, made his major league debut in May.

Philadelphia is battling the New York Mets for the NL East title. The Phillies won the division last year before they were eliminated by the Mets in their NL Division Series.

The 27-year-old Duran joins a Philly bullpen that also has Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering. Closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball on May 18 after a positive test for external testosterone.

Duran’s 100.2 mph average velocity for his four-seam fastball is second to Mason Miller’s 101.1 mph among those who have thrown 200 or more pitches. Duran has thrown 163 pitches of 100 mph or more, fourth most in majors behind Miller, Seth Halvorsen and Daniel Palencia.

The Phillies will be responsible for $1,330,645 of Duran’s salary, which also will increase their luxury tax payment by about $1.46 million.

It has been a tough season for Minnesota, which dropped to 51-57 when it lost 13-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. It could look to move a couple more players ahead of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline.

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth left Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia after he was hit by a pitch on his right thumb.

Meidroth was hit by an 89.6 mph sinker from Taijuan Walker in the fifth inning. The rookie stayed in to run the bases, but he was replaced by Lenyn Sosa before Philadelphia batted in the sixth.

The White Sox said X-rays were negative, and Meidroth is day to day.

The 24-year-old Meidroth is batting .252 with three homers, 15 RBIs and 11 steals in 83 games. He was acquired by Chicago in the Garrett Crochet deal with Boston in December.