Cubs predicted to land former All-Star reliever Carlos Estevez |
We are officially one month away from Spring Training, and once again, the Cubs offseason plans are in a familiar place. It's a place no one wants to relive after last season, as the bullpen continues to be an issue. Even with the addition of Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar, the Cubs bullpen remains a massive concern, and if the Cubs plan to improve their team from last season, they will need to add to the pen sooner rather than later.
As tough as it is for the Cubs to be put in this spot again, you could make the case that the rest of baseball has also taken a strangely slow approach to adding relievers, as 25 of the top relievers remain on the market. That is more than enough options for the Cubs to pursue, and eventually, the first domino will fall, leading to a mass exodus of relievers to follow. Some reports suggest that the reliever market is about to take off in a big way, and if that is the case, the Cubs need to make their move. They can't afford to be left behind and miss this opportunity, as their season depends on the pen's success. Tanner Scott remains the cream of the crop among relievers, but he seems way out of their price range when it comes to relievers. Even if Scott is off the table, this team has other options to pursue, with Kirby Yates and the Cubs gaining plenty of attention. He isn't the only reliever who continues to be linked to the Cubs, as closer Carlos Estevez continues to hear his name predicted to Chicago. The more you think about it, the more likely he will be the guy they go after. While Estevez may not be on the same level as Scott or even Yates, he is still a reliable late-inning arm that the Cubs haven't had, and adding him would instantly solve the ninth inning for this team. He would come into camp as their closer and push guys like Tyson Miller, Porter Hodge, and several others into more of a seventh and eighth-inning role. Not only is Estevez one of the top relievers on the market, but he is also considered one of the top 15 free agents in the game, so to hear him linked to the Cubs has to be promising for fans. Like Yates and most high-leverage arms remaining, Estevez will have to wait until Scott signs, as his contract will ultimately dictate the reliever market going forward. Given the way the Cubs operate when it comes to relievers and the unlikelihood of them shelling out 70 million for a closer, Estevez makes a ton of sense for them as he fills the need for a hard-throwing righty in the back of the pen who could also be had in a price range the team feels comfortable with. There was a time when Estevez was looked at as just another reliever, as the first seven years of his career were shaky at best. Granted, a lot of that time was spent with the Colorado Rockies, which may have had something to do with it, but from 2016-2022, Estevez posted a 4.59 ERA, 1.407 WHIP, and 2.1 bWAR in 321 games. It was in 2023 when things turned around for Estevez, and all it took was for him to get out of Colorado and latch on with the Los Angeles Angels. During that season, Estevez emerged as their closer and locked down 31 saves out of 33 chances. That is impressive, but doing that with a 3.90 ERA makes it much more remarkable, as he wasn't the definition of a lockdown closer. Then came the 2024 season, where he once again put together a strong season, locking down 26 saves in 28 chances. He did that with both the Angels and the Phillies as he was traded to Philadelphia for a minor leaguer at the deadline. He took over the closer duties from Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado after initially coming there to be their eighth-inning guy. Looking at his repertoire as a pitcher, Estevez is your classic late-inning arm. His heater sits in the 96-97 MPH range but has gotten it up to 99 MPH in the past. He mixes that fastball with one of the best sliders in the game while also dropping in an occasional change. Coming off his best overall season, where he posted a 2.45 ERA, Estevez is undoubtedly set up to get a nice increase from his previous 6.75 million dollar contract he was earning. If the Cubs want him, they may have to overpay for one year, but you are still looking at a nine or 10-million-dollar deal, which is nothing for this organization. Still, there could be a scenario where the Cubs invest beyond this season, and a two-year 18-20 million dollar deal could come into play. Expect an option year tied into that if that is the direction the Cubs go, but there is some interest between the sides as the Cubs need to address the ninth inning soon.
