of Phillies On Saturday night, they bolstered their bullpen by acquiring one of the best relief pitchers available for rental. Angels Closer Carlos EstevezThe trade required giving up two breakout prospects.
Estevez, Los Angeles’ closer the past two seasons, was brought into the mix in late innings for the Phillies, who were looking for another reliable reliever in October. The price for the 31-year-old right-hander was high; the Phillies gave up two potential breakout pitchers. George Klassen and Sam Aldegheriin trading.
This is an aggressive trade for a Phillies organization that has signaled in recent days that it’s willing to spend money to bolster its bullpen.
“We’re looking to win,” Phillies president Dave Dombrowski told reporters, “and we think he’s a big part of that. He’s not a guy we wanted to give up, but we knew we had to give something up because it’s obviously a seller’s market.”
Welcome to Philadelphia, Carlos!! pic.twitter.com/lvHxa0sHo0
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 27, 2024
Estevez is in the final stages of a two-year, $13.5 million contract, but he’s not a sure thing to be the Phillies’ closer — manager Rob Thomson has used him in the bullpen so far without a role — but Estevez throws strikes and has a strong pitching style, so he could have a shot at pitching in big games.
The right-hander has a 2.38 ERA, struck out 32 batters in 34 innings and walked just five batters, two of which were intentional. His fastball averages 96 mph, and he has more control over that velocity than a typical Phillies relief target.
He’s kept the ball in the ballpark this season. He gave up three runs (two home runs) against Philadelphia on April 30, but since then he has pitched 25 1/3 innings with a 1.07 ERA, allowing just one home run during that time. He’s a flyball pitcher and has undoubtedly had some luck, so the Phillies should expect that luck to continue in October. Lefties have performed worse against him than righties this season.
Estevez came into the Phillies riding an 18-inning shutout streak and hasn’t allowed a run since May 21st.
The initial reaction in the industry to the trade was that the Phillies gave up a big package to acquire rental relief pitchers. Both Classun and Aldeguelli had been inching up the prospect rankings with strong seasons, and rival evaluators had favorable opinions of the two pitchers. Major League sources said the Phillies were protecting their top prospects even while discussing non-rentals in trade deadline talks. They preferred to deal from the second tier, which meant Classun and Aldeguelli.
Classun, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, was not a strike-throwing pitcher in college, but He evolved as a pitcherOpinions are divided on whether his future is as a starter or reliever, but he has a good 2024 prospect.
Aldegheri is similar. The first Italian-born pitcher to appear in the major leagues in 74 yearsEvaluators have praised the lefty’s feel for his second pitch. His fastball has risen to 92-94 mph. He’s a promising option for the back end of the starting rotation. Aldeguelli was promoted to Double-A earlier this month.
Estevez will join a Phillies relief corps that was dominant through the first three months of the season but has since declined in form. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm He’s an All-Star and will likely continue to have big opportunities in the future. Jose Alvarado He struggled in July, but pitching is important to gain the manager’s trust. Rookie right-handed pitcher Orion Kerkeling It’s a top-of-the-line item that comes with some command blips.
The Phillies should feel comfortable with five relief pitchers in October, a strong relief corps.
— Athletic Zach Meisel contributed to this report.
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(Photo: Wally Scalisi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
