The Philadelphia Phillies, since Dave Dombrowski joined the organization, haven’t made any major trades. Adding Brandon Marsh at the 2022 trade deadline was a big deal, with Logan O’Hoppe being a top prospect, but the deadlines since haven’t made a blockbuster move.
That all changed in 2025, when the Phillies and the Minnesota Twins made a trade for Jhoan Duran. He instantly became the Phillies’ closer and has since been great in that role.
But to make the deal, the Phillies had to part with Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait, two top 10 prospects.
In the Phillies’ season finale, they face off against the Twins, who are sending Abel out on the mound for Saturday’s game. Set to face his old team, Mick Abel spoke about what it’s going to be like to face the Phillies in his return to Philadelphia.
Mick Abel says matchup vs the Phillies will be ‘special’
Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation shared Abel’s quote on coming back to Philadelphia to face his former team. For Abel, who the Phillies traded at the deadline, he views this game as a special moment in his career.
“It’ll be special,” Abel said. “This place is a special place, just because I started my career here and was able to at least make an impression. I’m super excited for it.”
Abel certainly made an impression in his Phillies and MLB debut. After a brutal 2024 season in the minor leagues, with an ERA of 6.46 in Triple-A, Abel bounced back with one of the best debuts in Phillies history.
He went toe-to-toe with Pittsburgh Pirates Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes, going six innings with nine strikeouts and five hits with no walks for his first win of his big league career.
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Abel finished his Phillies tenure with a 5.04 ERA in six starts, after faltering a bit in the next couple of starts in a Phillies uniform. But, he did enough in the minors and the Majors to help the Phillies land Duran from the Twins, which has been a great move for the Phillies.
In his three outings with the Twins, he has a 14.63 ERA across eight innings pitched. It hasn’t been great in Minnesota for Abel, but the 24-year-old still has promise and has already shown the ability to bounce back from a rough year.
The Phillies drafted him and helped him make the Majors after spending a few years in the minors. While it wasn’t always smooth sailing, his time with the Phillies organization helped him achieve the dream of playing in the Major Leagues.
Abel still holds a special place in his heart for the Phillies. For the first time since being traded, he’s returned to Philadelphia, and in the penultimate game of the year, Abel will face the Phillies to close out his 2025 season, which saw the right-hander make an incredible debut and begin his MLB career.
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