The Angels have continued their early-offseason activity, announcing the signing of reliever Carlos Estévez to a two-year, $13.5MM deal. The former Rockie receives $6.75MM in each of the next two seasons, the team disclosed.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic suggested earlier this afternoon the Halos were hoping to add to their late-inning mix. Within a few hours, they’ve finalized an agreement to add a power arm to Phil Nevin’s bullpen. Estévez is among the hardest throwers in the sport, and he’s coming off the best season of what has been an up-and-down MLB career.
Estévez began with a pair of seasons with an ERA north of 5.00. He took a step forward in 2019, working to a 3.75 ERA across 72 frames while striking out an above-average 26.3% of opponents. The native of the Dominican Republic looked like a potential high-leverage arm for the Rockies, but he stumbled to a 7.50 ERA during the abbreviated 2020 campaign thanks to massive home run issues.
The right-hander has gotten the longball in check over the past two seasons and performed at a generally solid level for skipper Bud Black. He worked to a 4.38 mark across 61 2/3 innings in 2021, then posted a career-low 3.47 ERA this past season. He’s struck out opponents at a roughly average clip in both seasons, although his swing-and-miss rate took a step back this year. Estévez generated swinging strikes on only 9% of his offerings in 2022, down almost two percentage points from the year prior and well below his 13.9% personal high in 2019.
Despite the dip in swinging strikes, the Halos will roll the dice on his high-octane arsenal. He averaged a blistering 97.5 MPH on his four-seam fastball, pushing into triple digits on occasion. Estévez has sat in the 97-98 MPH range every year of his major league career, and he’s relied heavily on that heater. He turned to his fastball just over 70% of the time, mixing in a changeup against left-handers and a slider to same-handed opponents.
That slider had excellent results in 2022, helping Estévez stifle right-handed hitters more generally. He held righties to a .204/.292/.306 line through 113 plate appearances. Left-handers only managed a .216/.287/.432 slash themselves, although that success was more built off an unsustainable .222 batting average on balls in play. Estévez had a below-average 19.7% strikeout rate against southpaws, but he punched out an impressive 26.5% of righties.
With his success against right-handers, Estévez should at least profile as a hard-throwing matchup option in the middle innings for Nevin. He’ll join Ryan Tepera and Jimmy Herget as the club’s top right-handed options, while Aaron Loup profiles as their best matchup southpaw. Tepera and Herget have more pedestrian velocity, and Estévez could take over the uncertain ninth inning mix in Orange County. Estévez only has 25 career saves, including just two this past season, but reports this offseason have suggested teams viewed him as a potential closer outside of the league’s most hitter-friendly home ballpark.
Estévez turns 30 later this month, so he was one of the younger free agent relief options available. He’ll strengthen a Halo bullpen that ranked 18th in ERA (3.97) and 22nd in strikeout percentage (22.2%) this past season. It’s certainly possible general manager Perry Minasian and his staff continue to look for ways to strengthen their late-inning mix. They’ve been active in an attempt to snap an eight-year postseason drought. They signed Tyler Anderson to a three-year, $39MM guarantee to bolster the rotation while swinging deals for Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe to strengthen the infield and outfield, respectively. Estévez becomes the latest in their pattern of acquisitions — a shorter-term investment for a notable but hardly overwhelming salary to build depth which their recent rosters have lacked.
MLBTR predicted a three-year, $21MM deal for Estévez at the start of the offseason. He lands a salary in that range annually, but the Halos keep their commitment to two seasons. Anaheim’s payroll now sits around $198MM, in the estimation of Roster Resource. That’s already above this past season’s $189MM Opening Day figure, which was a franchise-record outlay. Anaheim is also looking into ways to upgrade the middle infield, so it seems likely they’ll wind up above $200MM by the time the 2023 season rolls around. Their luxury tax commitments are now around $212MM, per Roster Resource, leaving approximately $21MM in breathing room before next year’s base tax threshold.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the Angels and Estévez were in agreement on a deal. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report it was a two-year guarantee worth around $14MM.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
That’s a “winning” signing.
I was hoping for Emilio instead.
Good signing. He has been much better on the road than at Coors for his career. Good addition to the pen.
I was standing there waiting to use a pay phone. And this guy who was on the phone, turns around and tips his hat.
And who do you think that guy was? Emilio Estevez. The Mighty Duck man, I was like, “Emilio.”
I went to McDonalds off Ventura once and the Martin, Charlie and Emilio were right next to me. It was a long time ago and I’m assuming the two teenagers were Charlie and Emilio
No……YEEESSSSS!!!!!
Trade for Emilio Pagan and you got a Frankenstein Emilio Estevez in the bullpen.
I was hoping for President Bartlet.
“Wild Thing” Charlie Sheen!
Has anyone seen Carlos Estevez and Charlie Sheen in the same place?
He better wear 99 and come out to Wild Thing
I always like Hansel Robles entrance when he was good for a bit with the Angels when he came in to the Undertaker;s music. Every time they made an out, you would hear a gong. One of the cooler entrances along with Trevor Hoffman of course.
The problem with how the Angels have been doing things is they throw mud on a wall, typically find a guy who pitches pretty darn well and later in the year they put him in high leverage situations. Mayers, Robles, Herget are examples of this. Then they think he’s going to be good the following year. They never are.
Or they sign Raisel Iglesias for a heavy contract and then have to get out from under it. Closing is such an imperfect science. Us Angel fans were spoiled with Percy and Franky for all those years.
I’m hoping the offense can actually score some runs (and stay healthy!) so the bullpen isn’t always in high leverage situations. That’s an unsung key to success – minimize as many stressful innings as possible throughout the season.
Dirk, spot on! With the added talent and depth. We will score score a lot more runs FOR SURE. Which should take some pressure off the BP, in like you said, on less high leverage situations. It will be extremely helpful early on until they get settled in.
Right this down: even without anymore BP additions. This BP is going to be LEGIT!
BRING UP THE YOUNG GUNS BABY!
um ok
More mud thrown against the wall with the proclamation by many… What a painter!!””
Perry loves these guys who can’t break 90. So do opposing hitters.
Can’t break 90?
So sorry. I take back what I wrote, I was looking in wrong column. He consistently hits 97.
He’s not a flamethrower, but at least 97 is not another soft tosser who relies on guile. It maybe a nice pick, I’ve done a 180 and am breathing a little easier.
Halo – “He’s not a flamethrower…”
I’d say an average heater over 97mph and often touching over 100mph is a flamethrower. If that’s not, what is?
It’s an above average fastball, but in this era, 97 is not a flame thrower. Times have changes.
The Late inning Relief game has changed so much eh!? No-one would’ve said this in the year 2010:
“A RPer who consistently sits at 97-98 mph is NOT a flamethrower!! “ Of course, when one of my fave Mariners RPers (Andres Muñoz) is hitting 103 mph…. there might actually be some truth to that!
If the Angels can sort out that Pitching they might just be able to be the team we saw in April and early May of 2022. If ‘my Mariners’ rotation stays healthy this AL West will be getting a wee bit tighter at the top next year.
An actual flamethrower.
His fastball velocity is top 5% in baseball. He averages 97.5mph so i believe that qualifies as throwing heat. He average fastball is faster than anyone on the Angels roster, not including the minors, including Ohtani.
And you will find out most pens have better arms than that and I wouldn’t consider slightly better arms flamethrowers.
But semantics, 97.5 makes him the fastest arm in the pen. By a mile.
Lol. You can’t be serious? Seattle isn’t near Houston. They will be lucky to finish within 10 games, barring catastrophic injuries to Houston. Yet again, it will be one of the first divisions to clinch. Seattle is playing for the wild card.
I don’t compare RPs to starters anymore than I compare milers to sprinters. Again semantics. 97.5 is a good fastball, and if all five AL West teams sent their fastest RP to the Olympics. He’d finish last.
But at lest it’s representative.
A wee bit tighter means a little closer. He’s not talking smack. He knows Houston is the class of this division. The Ms are the wild card favorite and Texas and the Angels are trying to jockey for position.
He is #36 in baseball in average fastball velocity. Ohtani is #39. There are 30 teams, so you may find one per team that throws harder. The point is this is a power arm the Angels haven’t had. Angels have done a piss poor job drafting power arms until the past couple years. Every since the Royals won the World Series and every guy in the pen threw heat, all the other teams have seen the need for power arms. The Angels were the last to get the memo.
Give it up, you were wrong. He’s literally one of the hardest throwers in all baseball.
Again semantics. Thirty six is fast. To me that means almost every team in baseball has a guy with a better fastball. To you that means flamethrower.
Fred McGriff was 21st in fWAR at first base in the expansion era. I don’t think someone rated that low belongs in the Hall of Fame. The panel, and many posters here believe otherwise. The point is.. semantics. What is a Hall of Famer and what is a flamethrower?
We may label things differently. Who cares?
So the 36th fastest man is flamethrower to you and not to me. But I have to label him the same as you do or I’m wrong?
How arrogant you must be.
I didnt say any such thing. To me, anyone that can hit 100mph is a flamethrower, I realize the number of players that can do that has increased significantly over the years. Relatively speaking, there are very few people in a world of about 8 billion that can throw a ball 100mph.
To me, it doesn’t matter how many people can throw that hard, I consider a guy who throws between 97 and over 100 a “flamethrower” in baseball terms. That’s my personal definition and don’t expect anyone to subscribe to my thinking on the matter.
My heater sits at about 37mph so I have that has a benchmark.
*subscribe, not prescribe.
There are three different posters, so it gets confusing who is talking to whom. Power arm is a good label. It’s nice to have a power arm in the pen.
I still would not consider him a flamethrower, however those that do, I wouldn’t call them wrong.
If 97 isn’t a flame thrower, what is? 97 is a flame thrower.
Seattle will choke the baby in 23. Write it down. No real offense other than J. Rod and the rotation is a distant 3rd in the AL West. I forsee fierce sky screaming in your future.
mark68 – thanks for adding your snarky comment to the conversation. What’s your definition? He fits mine.
JJD- LOLer I’m awfully serious!
Last year from June 21 onwards that young M’s team (2nd youngest in MLB) went 60-33. It was around June when young players like Julio, Cal Raleigh, George Kirby, Andres Muñoz, Matt Brash etc began to change the trajectory of the team. Then the team added SP1 Luis Castillo at the deadline.
This FO is not finished improving its lineup either. LOL all you want but that 2023 Mariners Pitching Staff will be no joke. Luis Castillo George Kirby and Logan Gilbert is as good a 1-2-3 as the current HOU Top 3.
Lol
Imagine being a grown adult and arguing about the definition of a baseball “flamethrower.”
will = It’s more of a debate than an argument.
Not really the argument I’m having. My argument is about the arrogance of someone who throws a fit that I have a different label for a pitcher than he has. What type of arrogant SOB tries to control speech to that extent?
WOW. the angels. I heard the Phil’s were very interested in him at the end of last week. good for him
Nice.
MLBTR nailed the bullpen piece earlier.
Emilio!
The Mighty Duck man! I swear to God!
Disappointing to see him go, but I am glad he left on his upswing. He was way too inconsistent overall though. Good luck Angels.
Yeah just too inconsistent. MLB hitters will probably figure that slider out next season.
Lol Charlie Sheen?
Anderson, Urshela, Renfroe, Sheen….Not bad thus far fellas! Don’t stop now!
The ball is rolling
I really wanted him for the Phillies, but I like this move for the Angels obviously.
Archie Bradley is still available.
May be worth it for the beard alone.
He is available for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs!
This was a reasonable signing given the FA reliever market. Angels need back end arms. Probably not enough but a good start.
Estevez is an inconsistent pitcher, but he could be better after getting out of colorado.
OaklandA’sFan!
The Angels have a strongly underrated pitcher coaching staff. They
did an extremely good job with their pitchers as the 2022 season moved along.
Perry Minasian came from the Braves organization where a high priority is put on their coaches working and improving their players under contract. It took him a few years to get quality major and minor league staffs together.
Hopefully this Angels pitching staff & team will be a good fit for Estevez.
He should fair a little better in a more pitcher-friendly ballpark. Theoretically speaking of course…time will tell. Sign Senga and Swanson.
97.5 changes things. I think it’s a good gamble. Hopefully this isn’t it.
If the Angels get Senga, a legit shortstop, and another reliever or two they will compete to win for the first time in 10-years. Praying that Moreno doesn’t pull the plug two players short– pun intended. We need a shortstop.
Ya think? He’s going to a pitcher’s park where the ball does not carry at night because of the marine layer. Good quality arm.
Now let’s get Hean Dog back on a 2 year deal for the same price!
Heaney will get a bigger deal than this. Might be similar to Tyler Anderson’s contract…
I was kinda thinking the same thing…I don’t even recall seeing MLBTR’s projection on Heaney. You think he will get 3 years though??
Personally, Heaney is worth 2-years around $16-20M total. But in this market, someone (desperate enough) will give him that third year and average around $9-10M. Toronto reportedly made him an offer and there are several suitors…
He’s not worth anywhere near that. He might get it, but he’s been bad his whole career. Bad with the Angels. Bad with the Yankees. Most effective last year with the Dodgers. HAs never won a single big game in his career.
Carla, with the lavish contracts they are handing out coupled with the year he had, I think he will get a healthy deal. He has had a ton of interest apparently but I guess he thinks he can squeeze out a little more. We shall see soon no doubt..
Orange, yeah I didn’t realize Heaney was already making 8 mil last season. I could see 3/30.
Heaney defines inconsistent. We don’t need to go backwards.
Prov, someone is going to give him the benefit of the doubt because of last season and his new cutter. They did with Anderson. Can definitely understand anyone being skeptical of him. But I pull for a reunion!
I’m all for Heaney if he’s solid and consistent. But he’s been up and down. I’m skeptical because the Angels have a history of acquiring pitchers who are looking to bounce back. They have rarely been successful at their gambles.
For the love of god, NOOOOOOOOO! I don’t want to hear every 2 minutes, about when he got drafted by the Yankees. And how excited he was to meet George Steinbrenner
Thankfully I have never had to sit through that story a 1st time.
Heaney’s never coming back. He was close to Skaggs.
Didn’t really know that Mark. I guess I get what you are saying.
Who?
Let me help, he’s your 2023 saves leader.
Their best move so far.
This signing reeks of Tiger Blood. Or expensive call girls. Can’t tell ’em apart nowadays…
Not call girls, “Goddesses!”
we need a closer
Who you got in mind Eddie spaghetti?
6’6″ 277
Nice
TIGERBLOOD is the new kale….
Do we have $$$$$$$ left for another pitcher and Correa?
Winslow, we got $$ for Bassitt and X.
Plus we’ll get a trade going for Murphy
after this we have appx. $28 mil. probably will go over the threshold if they want a winning season to go out
Hope so, I’d even take Lorenzen back for the SP#6 on the cheap (9m), and sign or trade for a SS and we’re set. If we need more RP help, there’s always plenty of that at the deadline. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they added another.
No way. Think bigger, man. We need a serious starting pitcher. If Ohtani goes down we will be in trouble– who leads the rotation? Need another stud righty. Need a shortstop. Need two more relievers through trade or free agency.
If he want to sign and given a chance to earn the 6th spot, and not be handed the 5th spot like he was last year, I’d love to have him back.
Yes for sure, and if he doesn’t work out as a #6. He was a solid set up guy for Iggy in his reds days. He actually aired it out as a RP and threw upper 90’s.
I’d be ok with lorenzen but not for that much. Made 7 mil last year and didn’t even throw 100 innings
Cleveland would have been a more appropriate team
Angels better hope he’s more “Rick Vaughn” than “Charlie Harper”…
Wasn’t a reply to you, just a comment, my bad
Maybe he has Tigers blood coursing through his veins… He apparently is already a “Wild Thing” who can bring the heat.
Dang, being mediocre sure does pay well nowadays.
He’s fine. What is his wide appeal again?
The fact that Carlos Estévez is Charlie Sheen’s real name
his grandfather escaped spanish war and came to u.s. and met an irish immigrant girl to marry.
And Charlie Sheen once bought over 2500 seats at an Angel game to catch a home run ball.
Why do I remember information like this?
And no Homerun ball was hit. I remember reading that in USA Today. My bet is it was 96.
it seems to be a pretty good signing. we still need a closer.
Seems like an overpay for a guy with a 3.51 ERA away from Coors
he pitched 50% of games in colorado. he has better outside of denver.
Hard thrower, but overall a middling bullpen arm, I guess that’s what $14M buys these days
His park adjusted ERA+ has been a very respectable 121 over the past 2 seasons. This is a good pickup for the Angels IMHO.
They signed “wild thing!”
This coming season is going to be verrrrrrry interesting with all 30 teams playing each other. No more shifts I missed it but why are the bases going to bigger?
@Winslow They believe it will increase stolen bases increasing the excitement. The bases are closer together and more room to avoid tags.
The other reason is they believe it’s safer. Especially at first base.
Thanks Google. Ricky Henderson is coming out of retirement.
Sign Senga. Trade for Maeda. Pitch Ohtani 1 and Senga 3. Maeda exclusively takes over for Ohtani and Senga after they are pulled. The Japanese triple threat can become famous, sell a ton of merch and pack in the wins for the Halos. They can take turns on who has to deal with the media giving the other guys a break.
Perry! This could work man!
Why do I always think of Charlie Sheen when I hear his name??
Daaaang dude scored. Is that what it takes now to get a reliever?
Charlie Sheen;s real name is Carlos Estevez.!
If I have to call a man a woman, I certainly don’t care if a person takes his dad’s last name and wants to be called Charlie.
I read recently that Charlie was thinking of using Estivez as his surname.
All they need now is Wilie “Mays” Hayes!
Too much $$$ . Perry does not know how to build a bullpen.
What? To much $$$? He was projected 3/21m, and the Angels signed him for 2/13.5m. sounds like a good deal to me.
3 yrs $21 million would be way too much and settling on 2 years $13.5 million tells me, likely he did not have 3 years offers. My guess, just like the 3 year $21 million, was most teams valued him at 2/10.
Ok, if what u have here is “actually” true, and most had him at 2/10m. Then 2/13.5 makes complete sense. It takes a little extra to get the deal done.
At only 6.75 per, I think this deal has better chance of being a bargain, over a slight bust. I believe his floor is worth the price. As any deal like this one. The only way it’s a small bust at say 7m, is if he misses a bunch of time by injuries.
My “isn’t that Charlie Sheen’s real name?” question was answered very quickly in this thread.
Still not sure if it was answered accurately, but quickly and often? Check and check.
2022 stats
Home games (31): 3.45 ERA, avg .190, whip 1.26, GO/AO 0.72.
Away games (31): 3.49 ERA, avg .229, whip 1.09, GO/AO 0.65.
O outs, no runner on base, and pitching in ninth innings are goods numbers. Everything else is pedestrian for 2022.
In all 7 seasons, he does have better away numbers but this is suppose to be his best season. This looks like another Ángels buy high pray later bust-type addition.
Bust? Lol… How much of a bust can u be at only 6.75m? His floor looks fine for the price.
Woo-Hoo!!! Charlie Sheen going back to where he lives …. L.A. well Anaheim to be precise, but close enough.
This guy has a great “baseball name” in that the real name of Charlie Sheen, who played the “Wild Thing” in the movie Major League, is:
Carlos Estévez
This guys WHIP is telling me its goin to be hard to wTch him come in during an innging
WHIP!?!? Nice, u didn’t find that great stat on this site…lol
I was just giving them a hard time on that, in there 17th anniversary blog.