Philadelphia Phillies Acquiring Elite Bullpen Arm Ahead of Trade Deadline

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies have pried closer Carlos Estevez away from the Los Angeles Angels.

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 21. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies, who have the best record in all of baseball entering play on Saturday, have acquired one of the top bullpen arms on the market.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Phillies have gotten Carlos Estevez from the Los Angeles Angels for two top prospects.

Per Passan:

BREAKING: The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels are finalizing a significant deal that will send top pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri to the Angels, sources tell ESPN.

Closer Carlos Estevez is headed back to the Phillies in the deal for George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri, sources tell ESPN. @KenRosenthal had Estevez first. The best staff in the National League gets even better.

Closer Carlos Estevez is headed back to the Phillies in the deal for George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri, sources tell ESPN. @Ken_Rosenthal had Estevez first. The best staff in the National League gets even better.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2024

Firstly, in Estevez, the Philies are getting a reliever that is 1-3 this year with a 2.38 ERA. He was an All-Star a season ago and owns a lifetime 24-29 record with a 4.29 ERA. That said, he spent five years in Colorado with the Rockies. He has 20 saves this season after registering 31 a year ago.

The Phillies are 64-39 and are looking to get back to the World Series for the second time in three years.

As for who the Angels are getting, here's a portion of the MLB.com prospect profile on Klassen:

Klassen has an extremely fast arm, and the right-hander has proven he can light up the radar gun consistently. His fastball averaged around 98 mph with running action and frequently topped triple digits in 2023, though it can play down because it doesn’t have much shape or extension. He has thrown both an 82-86 mph curve and a sharper 83-88 mph slider, and both can miss bats when he lands them in the zone. There is an upper-80s changeup in his arsenal, but that arrow typically stays in his quiver. 

And Aldegheri:

The left-hander has a back-end rotation spot starter kit when he’s throwing well. His fastball sat around 92 mph in 2023 and was up to 95 mph, a heater with good spin that adds some solid carry in the zone. He has both a slider and a curve, and Aldegheri throws the former a lot more than the latter, a solid low-80s breaking ball

The trade deadline is coming up on Tuesday, July 30.

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