Philadelphia Phillies Reportedly Interested in Los Angeles Angels Star Reliever

With the Philadelphia Phillies set to become active before the trade deadline, they are reportedly interested in a star reliever who likely will become available.

Jul 13, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Carlos Estevez #53 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates as he earns his 17th save of the season defeating the Seattle Mariners in the ninth inning at Angel Stadium / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies fans have had a love-hate relationship with the bullpen for years.

In 2018 and 2019, that unit was in the middle of the pack based on ERA, but during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, they had the worst ERA out of any team in Major League Baseball (7.06). Those struggles continued, ranking 25th the following year and 23rd during the regular season before they went on their World Series run.

That's why it was so refreshing when the Phillies relievers had the seventh-best ERA last year (3.58), but after the bullpen was a major reason why they were prematurely eliminated from the playoffs, those negative feelings were present once again.

So, as Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering have begun to join Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez in the struggling category, many Philadelphia fans are hoping Dave Dombrowski will bring in another reliable relief arm to the mix.

It seems like that is not lost on the president of baseball operations.

According to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies have had their interest "piqued" by three top arms on the market: Kyle Finnegan, Tanner Scott, and Carlos Estevez.

Finnegan emerged as a name they might be considering, so that wasn't a major surprise. Same with Scott, someone who is in their division and has been dominating opposing hitters throughout the past two seasons.

But, their interest in Estevez is something that is newly reported outside of some initial speculation here that he could become a target Philadelphia might be interested in acquiring.

The Los Angeles Angels closer has been incredible for them this year, posting a 2.38 ERA across his 34 outings and converting 20 out of 23 save opportunities.

Adding a shutdown reliever like Estevez would be a major benefit for the Phillies. Not only would this bring in another reliable arm to the mix, but it would also allow Rob Thomson to use his best bullpen pieces in high-leverage situations without worrying about who will close out games.

Since the right-hander is also set to hit free agency after the season, his price shouldn't be too high, allowing Philadelphia to still use their other assets to land the outfield bat they're looking to acquire.