The Philadelphia Phillies traded for former Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estévez ahead of this year’s MLB trade deadline. The move was seen as a rental at the time.
He was brought in to give the Phillies another electric arm to use late in games and hasn’t disappointed.
Estévez was dominant for the Angels posting a 2.38 ERA in 34 appearances, including 20 saves. Opponents were batting just .169 against him.
Estévez is proving that he should be more than a rental after his success since joining the Phillies.
The 31-year-old has continued his success since joining the Phillies. Estévez has a 1.72 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15 ⅔ innings with the Phillies. The right-hander has four saves in five opportunities and opponents are batting .179 against him. His season ERA sits at 2.17 which is a career best by a large margin.
Rob Thomson has options in the back end of the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm were All-Stars this year for the Phillies and are key pieces to the team’s success. Orion Kerkering is also having an exceptional season owning a 2.17 ERA in 54 innings pitched. Adding Estévez to the mix made the bullpen that much better.
Phillies Should View Estévez as More than Just a Rental
If Estévez continues to have success for the remainder of the season, especially in the postseason, then the Phillies have to try to find a way to keep him in the City of Brotherly Love. He signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with the Angels before the 2023 season. Since then, he was named an All-Star in 2023 and has had two of his best seasons since his debut in 2016.
Estévez should be in line to make a good amount of money on his next contract. He’ll be 32 years old throughout the 2025 season which could bring the dollar amount a little lower than what it should be based on his production, but there should be a lot of teams interested in him. It will be interesting to see if Dave Dombrowski would be willing to be a part of a potential bidding war for the veteran.
If the price tag isn’t too high, the Phillies should waste no time in bringing back Estévez in 2025, and potentially on a multi-year deal.
PHOTO: ClutchPoints
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