Carlos Estévez
Dombrowski filled the Phillies' need for a closer by trading two pitching prospects to the Los Angeles Angels for Estévez at the trade deadline. The right-hander appeared in 20 regular season games for Philadelphia and had six saves in eight opportunities. He totaled a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings for the team from the end of July until the conclusion of September.
Estévez provided some stability to the closer situation. José Alvarado struggled during the second half of the season and could not be depended upon to close games. The former Angels reliever surrendered six earned runs, walked seven batters and had a 1.19 WHIP with Philly.
Estévez finished with the second-best ERA of 3.38 among the seven Phillies relievers that appeared versus the Mets. His 1.13 WHIP was the lowest among all of Philadelphia's bullpen pitchers. The 31-year-old blew a save when he surrendered the grand slam in Game 4 to Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Will the front office be willing to pay Estévez in free agency? It certainly behooves the Phillies to consider it. Once Alvarado began to become erratic on the mound during July, Dombrowski needed to make a deal for a proven closer.
If the Phillies do not re-sign Hoffman, they should consider offering Estévez a deal this winter. The organization may decide to pursue another closer in free agency if he signs elsewhere. Tanner Scott of the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox's Kenley Jansen are relievers with closing experience who will be free agents.
Whether the Phillies decide to bring Estévez back or not, the franchise needs to consider entering the 2025 regular season with a reliever that has more closing experience to be used in such situations.
However, it is assumed that he will receive offers in free agency that the team may prefer not to match. Philadelphia may not be willing to bring him back given their preferred approach to having multiple relievers available to close games based on matchups.