Phils acquire closer Est¨¦vez from Angels for pair of pitching prospects
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiPHILADELPHIA -- Everybody knew the Phillies would find a late-inning reliever before Tuesday¡¯s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
They believe they got one of the best on Saturday, when they acquired Angels closer Carlos Estévez for pitching prospects George Klassen (who would have been the No. 7 prospect in the Phillies¡¯ system at MLB Pipeline¡¯s midseason re-rank) and Samuel Aldegheri (who would have been No. 12).
Est¨¦vez, 31, is a hard-throwing right-hander who attacks hitters and fills the strike zone. He is excited to join a contender.
¡°It feels great,¡± Est¨¦vez said. ¡°It's a great feeling. You have this adrenaline rush all the time. That feels amazing, and I'm glad that we're going to go for it. I want to experience it again. And that's something I was missing.
¡°I'm glad that if I'm going to another place, it's a place that I can get a shot to win a ring.¡±
The Phillies have not had an official closer for years, although Craig Kimbrel filled the role for much of 2023. Est¨¦vez, however, could see regular action in the ninth.
¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he gets a lot of ninth innings,¡± Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said during Saturday night¡¯s 8-0 victory over the Guardians at Citizens Bank Park.
Est¨¦vez will be a free agent after the season, but the Phillies paid a premium because they believe he gives them the best chance to win the World Series.
¡°We looked at some guys with [club] control,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°It¡¯s interesting being in our room when we had those types of conversations. The reality comes down [to], for me, we wanted the best guy to give us a chance to win this year. There might have been some guys that maybe we could¡¯ve gotten with control, but we didn¡¯t think they were as good pitchers to win in the postseason. We just feel that he¡¯s the right guy.
¡°It¡¯s probably a little more than you¡¯d like to give up for a rental, but who knows? Maybe we¡¯ll sign him once the year¡¯s over.¡±
On Friday, Philadelphia acquired outfielder Austin Hays from Baltimore for right-hander Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez and outfielder Cristian Pache. The Phils can still make more moves before Tuesday¡¯s Deadline. Dombrowski said he will consider anything that makes sense, but he did not sound like somebody who is aggressively searching for another major piece before the Deadline.
¡°We feel very comfortable where we are,¡± he said about the bullpen. ¡°We feel like now we have three people that can pitch on the back end from the right-handed side with Est¨¦vez, [Orion] Kerkering and [Jeff] Hoffman. And from the left side, we feel comfortable with [Jos¨¦] Alvarado, [Matt] Strahm and [Gregory] Soto.
¡°There¡¯s a long way until Tuesday night at 6 o¡¯clock, but we feel very comfortable where we are right now.¡±
There have been reports that the Phillies have been looking to add to their rotation, but Dombrowski said he is comfortable with the organization¡¯s starting pitching depth, despite Ranger Su¨¢rez joining Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull on the 15-day IL on Saturday.
Dombrowski specifically cited the recent performance from rookie Tyler Phillips, who threw a shutout Saturday, as well as the fact that Su¨¢rez¡¯s back injury is not believed to be serious and Walker has made recent progress in his recovery from a right finger injury.
¡°We can hold the fort for the time being until those guys come back,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°Now again, [if] something falls in our lap in the next couple days, I¡¯m not saying we would never do it, but it¡¯s also a situation where we don¡¯t feel we have to do it.¡±
Est¨¦vez went 1-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 20 saves with the Angels, striking out 32 and walking five in 34 innings. He has not surrendered a run in 18 consecutive appearances since May 28, allowing only five baserunners in 18 innings in that stretch.
Est¨¦vez¡¯s four-seam fastball averages 96.4 mph, but he doesn¡¯t spray his pitches around the plate. His 4.0 percent walk rate is tied with Strahm for the 11th-lowest among 191 relievers with 30-plus innings pitched. He has thrown 59.6 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, which is the fifth-highest zone rate among 464 pitchers who have thrown at least 300 pitches.
Manager Rob Thomson learned of the trade before the game. The Phillies¡¯ bullpen learned about midway through.
¡°More power, the better, right?¡± Strahm said.
Hoffman played with Est¨¦vez in Colorado.
¡°He was excited,¡± Strahm said. ¡°If Jeff¡¯s excited, we¡¯re all excited.¡±
¡°He¡¯s told me he likes the vibe of the place,¡± Est¨¦vez said about Hoffman. ¡°Seeing them play on TV and facing them before, they look like a really good chemistry team. And that's one really good thing to see on a team that is pushing for everything. I'm really excited about that.¡±