Royals Writer Declares $22 Million Closer Should Be All-Star

The Kansas City Royals are on a roll. After an 8-14 start, they have won nine of their last 11 games and are now 17-16.

The offense remains a bit of an issue for this club, but they are pitching quite well. They have a strong starting rotation and an elite back end of the bullpen.

They signed Carlos Estevez to a two-year, $22 million deal last offseason, and he has performed well to start the 2025 season.

Mike Gillespie of FanSided listed three Royals players that deserve to be All-Stars this summer if they remain on track. Estevez is on that list after a hot start.

"Kansas City signed Estévez to a two-year deal (with a club option for a third in January to bolster its increasingly good, but still inconsistent, bullpen, and he's delivering the goods the club hoped he would. He deserves the closer's role from which he's displaced Lucas Erceg — through Wednesday, Estévez's nine saves trailed American League leader Andrés Muñoz of Seattle by two and the Athletics' Mason Miller by one," Gillespie writes.

In addition to his nine saves, Estevez is 1-0 in 14 appearances with a 2.40 ERA. So far, he has performed well, and this start certainly warrants consideration for a spot on the American League All-Star roster.

Estevez was an All-Star for the first time in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels. He recorded 31 saves that year and posted a 3.90 ERA in 63 appearances.

If he keeps up this pace, he should certainly be on the All-Star roster.

More MLB: Royals Pitcher With 2.25 ERA Recognized As Surprise All-Star Candidate