The Philadelphia Phillies is among the best teams in baseball, but like many contenders, looked to improve the bullpen this summer.
Philadelphia was very active and made one of the top moves of the summer by acquiring All-Star reliever Carlos Estévez in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels. He has been everything the Phillies could've hoped for and has a 2.37 ERA in 18 appearances. Estévez will be a free agent at the end of the season and is setting himself up to cash in. Spotrac is projecting him to receive a deal worth roughly $69 million.
It's unclear if the Phillies will opt to pay him that price. There will be plenty of competition for his services as Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked him as the No. 20 free agent heading into the winter.
"Estévez enjoyed a breakout 2023 season after joining the Angels on a two-year, $13.5 million contract, saving 31 games and earning his first All-Star selection," Reuter said. "He continued to pitch well in the closer's role this season before joining the Phillies at the trade deadline in a deal that cost them a pair of top pitching prospects, and he is now pitching high-leverage innings for a World Series contender."
Philadelphia certainly made a great move this summer. The Phillies are in a great position to make a deep playoff run this fall, and Estévez will play a major role in that late in games. Whether or not he returns, hopefully, the Phillies can make a run to the World Series this fall.
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