The Philadelphia Phillies, who shipped Sernathony Dominguez to the Baltimore Orioles in a three-player trade Thursday, have added to their bullpen by acquiring Los Angeles Angels right-hander Carlos Estevez for two prospects.
The Phillies’ relief efforts have been solid this season, but the club ranks No. 16 in baseball with a 3.96 bullpen ERA, and they’ve blown 16 save chances, 10th most in the league.
Estevez, 31, has 51 saves the last two seasons and from a run prevention standpoint is having his best season in the majors with a 2.38 ERA, and all the advanced runs allowed metrics back it up, including a 2.67 xERA and 2.85 FIP.
Estevez is throwing more strikes than ever, as evidenced by his 4% walk rate (8.9% for his career, 11% in 2023), but his strikeouts have sunk a bit, too, though still at levels of a high-leverage arm.
Estevez has one of the better fastballs in baseball (.179 BAA, .282 SLGA), and he throws it a lot — 62.3% of the time, per Statcast. He sits 95-97 mph and will touch 99 when fresh.
His best secondary is a hard slider (.148 BAA, .333SLGA) and he’ll mix in a solid-average changeup versus left-handed batters (21.7%).
Estevez has held batters to a .169 average and .288 slug this season and has allowed just three homers all season, despite being a severe fly ball arm.
He came up through the Rockies’ system and signed with the Angels prior to the 2023 season and has been a solid relief arm since. The Phillies add him to their current high-leverage group that includes Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, and Gregory Soto. Estevez is a free agent after the season and is due about $2.4 million the rest of the way.
In return, the Halos get 22-year-old right-hander George Klassen and lefty Samuel Aldegheri. Klassen was the Phillies’ sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Minnesota and was Joe Doyle’s No. 19 prospect for Philly in pre-season rankings.
Klassen has had a good year in the minors as he builds up stamina and arm strength, averaging about four innings per start in 14 outings between Single-A and High-A. He’s missed bats with a big fastball often touching 99 mph with some late run and a mid-80s slider. The Phillies were working on his changeup, but Klassen’s curveball is a better option right now.
It’s 40 control and command right now, but the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is athletic and ultimately should grab average in both categories. He’s likely at least a year-plus away from the majors in a starting role and there’s plenty of reliever risk here, but there’s no reason the Angels should give up on the rotation chances at this stage.
Aldegheri ranked No. 23 in Doyle’s preseason rankings. He’s a kitchen-sink left-hander sitting low-90s with a four-seamer, but he’ll tag 94 most starts and has touched 96. The pitch performs better than the velocity suggests thanks to spin and deception from a true three-quarter slot.
Aldegheri has an average curveball with depth and sharp two-plane break and he’ll throw it in any count versus lefties and righties alike, but. He also throws a slider, a pitch with a bigger long-term promise. His changeup is already useful for him to complete a four-pitch arsenal.
He’s not afraid to pitch inside and gets there by effectively pounding right-handed batters away with everything and sneaking the heaters on the inner edge.
The Angels get two solid arms with a chance to start, albeit without much chance of frontline upside, but in return for two months of Estevez, Halos GM Perry Miniasian did well here.
TRADE GRADES
Phillies: 55
Angels: 60
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