Cubs Free Agent Target: Carlos Estevez |
By now, everyone knows that the Cubs are looking to improve their team in any possible, with the trade market being the most likely option. Over the past 48 hours, the Cubs have not only been linked to several teams via the trade market but have even discussed with Nico Hoerner, Cody Bellinger, and Seiya Suzuki being the most recent.
All three have played a massive role on this team the past few seasons, and should the Cubs lose any of them, they better have a backup plan to replace them. Another way the Cubs are looking to improve their roster is by going the free agency route in a desperate attempt to add to their pen. This is an area the Cubs have tried to fix in recent seasons, but they haven't been able to find the right combination. The most prevalent part of the bullpen for the Cubs is the back end, as they blew an MLB-worst 27 saves last season. Part of that was their closer, Adbert Alzolay, going down with an elbow injury in May. Still, you also had injuries to Julian Merryweather and Yency Almonte take their toll on this team. Hector Neris was supposed to be the fill-in the Cubs were looking for, but he struggled to get things done as they used a revolving door of names to fill the pen. Toward the end of the season, guys like Jorge Lopez, Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, and Nate Pearson stabilized things, but once again, this team will head into the season without a proven closer. Enter Carlos Estevez into the conversation, as he would be a great free-agent target for this team to pursue. Estevez is what you would consider a late bloomer in his MLB success, but he has emerged into one of the game's best closers over the past three seasons. He’s coming off a strong year in which he posted a 2.38 ERA over 34 appearances with 20 saves for the Angels before being dealt to the Phillies at the trade deadline. Following his trade to the Phillies, Estevez continued to deliver. He appeared in 20 games with his new team and posted an ERA of 2.57 with a low .200 batting average—not bad for someone many felt would be released by the Angels mid-season. Known for his fastball that can consistently sit in the 97 MPH range, Estevez attacks hitters aggressively with that heater before going to his offspeed pitches to put them away. His slider is the best of his offspeed offerings. Unlike most sliders that break left to right with some sink, his slider acts more like a cutter and has some late movement. He mixes in an occasional change-up to be a three-pitch guy. As is the case with any free agent the Cubs pursue, the contract's financial terms are what you need to focus on, and Estevez has a wide range of projections. On the high end, many expect him to land a three-year deal in the $36 million range, with low-end offers being one year for $10 million. Both of those numbers are numbers the Cubs can work with, but it does become a question of whether or not the Cubs want to invest in a closer beyond one season. Following his 31 saves in 2023, Estevez responded with 26 more last season and continued to pitch in high-leverage situations. At 31 years old, Estevez is getting to that point where he may be coming out of his prime, but that's not to say he has a few strong years left. His 23.6% strikeout rate last season was about a half-click below his career mark (24.2%), representing a significant drop from 2023 (27.8%), while his hard-contact rate nearly doubled. He also cut his walk rate in half to a career-best 5.7%. Generally, he maintained his velocity well enough, averaging roughly 97 MPH with the ability to get even more behind that pitch. Although he may not be the focus of the Cubs or many teams, Estevez would come to Chicago and instantly become the team's closer to locking down the late innings.
