The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly among the teams showing interest in reliever, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall mentioned earlier this week that the team has some financial flexibility, though it’s limited.
MLB Trade Rumors has projected Him to land a three-year, $27 million deal. While that’s not an exorbitant figure, it’s a solid contract for a reliever. However, He has performed better than just “solid” in his career and was dominant in 2024 while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, he posted a 2.45 ERA over 55 innings, allowing just 38 hits, 12 walks (four intentional), and striking out 50 of the 212 batters he faced. Since 2021, including his time with the Colorado Rockies, he’s thrown 236 innings with an impressive 127 ERA+.
After signing with the Angels prior to the 2023 season, He became their closer, earning an All-Star selection and recording 31 saves in his first year. In 2024, he added another 20 saves with the Angels before being traded to the Phillies, where he notched six more.
While Estévez has generally done well at limiting home runs, his status as a fly-ball pitcher raises questions about whether he can maintain that trend moving forward. His strikeout rates have been solid throughout his career, though not elite, with the exception of his excellent walk rate in 2024.
However, a significant factor in his 2024 success was his low .229 BABIP against, a mark that’s unlikely to be sustainable. Much of Estévez’s career was spent in Colorado, where higher BABIP figures skew the data, making it challenging to assess how much luck factored into his performance.
Even if his BABIP regresses, Estévez has the potential to remain a high-quality reliever if he maintains the strong peripherals he displayed in 2024.
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