The Phillies have interest in Angels closer Carlos Estevez, reports Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Halos are expected to trade the hard-throwing righty before next Tuesday’s deadline.
Estevez has had an excellent season. He’s running a 2.38 ERA over 34 innings. Estevez has fanned nearly 26% of batters faced while keeping his walk rate to a pristine 4% clip. He has locked down 20-of-23 save opportunities and is running a remarkable streak. Opponents haven’t plated a run since May 21. Estevez has rattled off 18 straight scoreless outings, allowing a grand total of five baserunners (three singles and two walks) in that time.
The Halos signed the former Rockies setup man to a two-year, $13.5M deal over the 2022-23 offseason. While he scuffled down the stretch last season and had a few shaky appearances this April, that has generally been an excellent investment. Estevez has held the ninth inning throughout his time in Los Angeles and carries a 3.36 ERA across 96 1/3 frames with the Halos. His 27.2% strikeout rate over that stretch is more "very good" than "elite," but he’s a power arm who has shown dramatically improved control this season.
Estevez is headed back to the open market at season’s end. While the Angels have played their way back to within eight games in the AL West, they’re 12 games under .500 and not a realistic playoff contender. There’s little reason to hang onto their impending free agents of value, a group headlined by their closer.
Philadelphia is likely to add some kind of late-inning help. They’ve also been tied to Marlins southpaw Tanner Scott and Washington’s Kyle Finnegan in recent weeks. Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Gregory Soto have each been inconsistent, leaving the Phils with some questions in the late innings aside from All-Star righty Jeff Hoffman.
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