The Philadelphia Phillies made four trades before the 2024 MLB trade deadline. One of those trades was for former Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estévez.
Estévez ranks No. 10 in the MLB with 20 saves this season and owns a 2.25 ERA.
Phillies' early trade for Carlos Estévez might have saved their farm system
The Phillies acquired Estévez on July 27, a few days before the July 30 deadline. The organization did have to part ways with two 22-year-old pitching prospects, but they were able to keep their top prospects in the farm system.
The Phillies hope the right-handed pitcher can continue his success that he had with the Angels. The 31-year-old has appeared in two games so far with the Phillies pitching two perfect innings.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski deserves a lot of credit for the early trade for Estévez. It might’ve seemed like a steep price at first for what could be just a rental, but it was nothing compared to what the San Diego Padres gave up to acquire Tanner Scott from the Miami Marlins.
Scott was an All-Star for the Marlins this year. The left-handed pitcher has an impressive 1.18 ERA and 18 saves this season. The Padres parted with a lot for the 30-year-old pitcher.
The Padres traded their No. 2, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 24 prospects to acquire Scott. To put that in perspective, Aidan Miller is the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, Starlyn Caba is No. 4, Mick Abel is No. 5 and Hendry Mendez is No. 24 in the organization, per MLB Pipeline.
Miller and Mendez are both 20 years old, Caba is only 18 and Abel is 22. All of them are expected to have bright futures in their professional careers. The Padres did also acquire 27-year-old pitcher Bryan Hoeing along with Scott from the Marlins who has a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings pitched in 2024. Regardless, it was a hefty price that the Phillies avoided.
The Phillies made it through the trade deadline keeping their prized prospects in the organization while adding pieces to the roster in areas of need. The front office deserves some praise.