Another one of their star relievers, Carlos Estevez, looks close to officially being out the door as well.
Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the trade deadline last July, he immediately assumed a late-game role in Rob Thomson’s bullpen, continuing the solid campaign that he had been having with the Angels.
In 54 total appearances, he threw 55 innings, registering a 2.45 ERA and 0.909 WHIP with 50 strikeouts. The only real blemish on his 2024 performance was his inability to get New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor out during the postseason, but that was a feat not many pitchers could consistently accomplish.
With so many of the top relief pitching options flying off the board recently, Estevez’s market has begun to heat up. Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates both landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hoffman got the ball rolling with the Blue Jays.
One team to keep an eye on for Estevez’s services, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, is the Cincinnati Reds.
The MLB insider has reported that they were engaged in talks with the closer on the night of Jan. 22.
It would be interesting to see where he would fit into the mix with the Reds, who already have Alexis Diaz entrenched as their closer. He has 75 saves over the first 190 appearances of his MLB career and was an All-Star in 2023.
They would certainly make for a dynamic duo at the end of games should they be fortunate enough to land the former Phillies reliever.
Likely the top relief pitcher remaining on the market, it has been speculated that Estevez would be able to land a multi-year deal as a free agent. His market has been slow to develop, but it certainly seems that is within reach given how many teams are still on the hunt for late-game help.
The Reds are almost certainly going to face competition for him, as their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs, are in need of a pitcher with late-game experience.
The Baltimore Orioles could also be in the mix, as they, like the Cubs, checked in on Scott. Baltimore also had a deal in place with Hoffman before they flagged his physicals.
Out west, the San Francisco Giants have money to spend and a need in the bullpen. Up-and-coming Washington Nationals could also use some more help with their pitching staff.