Philadelphia Phillies, Two Others 'Showing Interest' in Carlos Estevez

The Philadelphia Phillies are interested in a reunion with their closer Carlos Estevez, but they're going to have competition from at least two other teams.

Aug 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) reacts to the final out of a victory against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Bullpen is something the Philadelphia Phillies were going to pursue this offseason.

They were able to bring in Jordan Romano on a one-year, prove-it type of deal that could be very beneficial if the former elite closer regains his form after an injury-riddled campaign, but with Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez hitting the open market as well, there are still holes the front office has to fill.

Based on the projected price tags that both pitchers are expected to receive, the Phillies went into free agency thinking they would only be able to bring back one of them.

Who they were leaning towards wasn't known at the time, but it seems like the front office is now starting to tip their hand.

Per MLB insider Hector Gomez, Philadelphia is "showing interest" in reuniting with Estevez. Two other teams are also reportedly interested, with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the mix.

This isn't a surprising development.

The Phillies gave up a strong trade package to bring in Estevez ahead of the deadline this past season, so if they're able to lock him into some sort of contract that would bring him back during this World Series window, that would make a ton of sense.

Despite the implosion that Philadelphia's bullpen had during the playoffs, the flamethrower was effective as their closer in the second half of the year.

He posted a 2.57 ERA across his 20 outings and 21 innings pitched, going 6-for-8 on save opportunities.

Estevez also became a very well-liked player in the clubhouse, something that can't be overlooked when considering Alec Bohm is on the trade block because of the attitude problems he has had during his time with the Phillies.

There are certainly concerns about bringing Estevez back on what is likely a high-priced contract.

His fly ball rate is 26.1% during his carerer, something that is just under 2 percentage points higher than the league average. That number was even higher during his time with the Los Angeles Angels this past year at 39.1% before he lowered that figure to 24.2% following the trade.

Being a fly-ball pitcher does not bode well in Philadelphia, so this is something they have to be mindful of if they do bring him back.