The MLB trade deadline beckons a certain suddenness that can be jarring to some players.
One moment, they're teammates with a player, the next moment, they're striking out that same player they were sharing a seat on the team plane with. Or, in the case of Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk, the sudden nature of a trade forced him to say his farewells to teammates during a game.
So on Tuesday, when Minnesota Twins star closer Jhoan Duran, the No. 4 player on SI's Big Board of trade candidates, was spotted hugging an individual in the bullpen, many thought he was headed out the door on a trade.
Jhoan Duran was seen on the broadcast getting a hug and leaving the bullpen 👀 pic.twitter.com/nFw7DH4DAZ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 30, 2025
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, already chronically online due to his job as a news breaker, decided to ease the minds of the masses.
Jhoan Duran has not been traded. He was just hugging his bullpen catcher because that's what friends do sometimes.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2025
One Twins source told Dan Hayes of The Athletic that Duran "hugged [Twins bullpen catcher] Frank [Nigro] like he always does."
Well, there you go. Much ado about nothing.
Though, for the record, it remains possible that the Twins—currently five games back of the third wild-card spot in the American League—opt to deal their flamethrowing closer, who would fetch quite the trade return.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jeff Passan Calms MLB Fans After Jhoan Duran Hug Sent Some Into Trade Deadline Tizzy.
