EXCLUSIVE: Carlos Estévez ‘ready to roll’ with new club after trade to Phillies

The MLB trade deadline saw a lot of players change teams and the Phillies, like all contenders, made moves to shore up their odds at a World Series run, bringing in Carlos Estévez from the Los Angeles Angels.

Pitching can only be gained by paying a premium, and despite the success of Philly’s bullpen this year, they felt upgrading a few arms was a top priority. Like strategically trading your pieces for your opponent’s in a game of chess, Philadelphia sent two relievers out and brought two others in.

Phillies make a deadline move for Carlos Estévez

The biggest move for Philadelphia prior to the deadline, both figuratively and literally, was a deal for the Angels closer, Carlos Estévez – a six-foot-six, 227-pound behemoth with a bulldog mentality on the mound. I

It’s hard not to notice how big he is – he was the first player I saw when I looked out at the team warming up in the outfield grass Tuesday afternoon. As he strode across the field, he grew larger and larger – his broad frame making him appear more like he belonged at the NovaCare Complex than at Citizens Bank Park. And being smaller than most athletes, I thought it might just be me comparing myself to the reliever. But in a conversation with Brandon Marsh, it was obvious – I wasn’t the only one impressed by his size: “The dude’s six-ten, 290 pounds. He is a BIG dude. I feel like I can fit 2 of my bodies inside his.” Me and you both, Brandon.

I eventually shook off my awe and asked Estévez if he had a few minutes to speak. Despite his formidable size, when he talks baseball he is all smiles and happy-go-lucky. He grinned ear to ear and couldn’t contain his excitement when discussing what the last few days had been like as he adjusted to his new life since the trade to Philadelphia:

“Besides feeling like ‘oh I gotta go’ and feel a little bit rushed – it’s nothing compared to the feeling when I showed up here. Everyone was welcoming me in, and it’s been really amazing. It’s weird, you know, doing this mid year but I don’t mind. I’m over it – it’s been two days, three days, whatever – I’m ready to roll.”

So far, the newest right-hander in the Phils ‘pen has done nothing but roll. Regardless of the result for the team, you can’t ask for much more than two clean innings with a strikeout against an offense as hot as the Yankees were in the series sweep in Philly. Across the two appearances he threw just 24 pitches, 15 for strikes.

Estévez prepares for life in the City of Brotherly Love

There are players in nearly every clubhouse who can relate to being traded mid-season, including the Phillies. It’s not always the case, however, that guys on your old team played with guys on your new team, and vice versa. Estévez was lucky enough to have some guys to talk to before departing the Angels clubhouse about what it might be like in Philly:

“Right away when I was coming over I had Mickey Moniak, Logan O’Hoppe saying ‘hey, say hi to this guy, say hi to that guy,’ and that made it a little bit easier for me. It’s been pretty cool. I know they’ve been traded back and forth, but it makes it a little bit easier for me that they know some guys and I know the type of guys that they are, so it makes it a lot easier, so i kind of understand what type of people we have here. That’s very cool.”

Estévez doesn’t feel like there’s an immediate need for any type of adjustment moving from a struggling club to a team at the top of the league. He’s been pitching well, but is open to making adjustments if needed. “If we have to do some adjustments down the road, I’m open to it but right now I feel like I just gotta keep attacking the strike zone and things are gonna play out well.“

Philadelphia did see Estévez when they played Los Angeles back in late April and had success against him, but not everyone in their lineup did. Some, like Marsh, looked like most hitters he’s faced this year – overpowered. He spoke about what Estévez brings on the mound that makes him difficult to face as a hitter:

“The second he got here I was just like ‘thank you so much you’re here, bro, cause now I don’t have to strike out against you.’ I’ve seen him twice this year and he got me twice and I gotta tip my cap to him.” Marsh continued, “He’s got a really, really aggressive heater. It’s a heater that has a lot of jump and a lot of carry to it. He’s been put in the ninth inning for awhile now. I mean the dude – he’s nails…I know he’s going to attack the zone, pound the zone. He’s not gonna be scared of any hitter.”

Coming to a club with high expectations is an exciting prospect for Carlos. After all, he’s been in the league since 2016 and been a part of just one team that had a winning record come season’s end.

Before making his debut in red pinstripes Tuesday, Estévez was able to drink in the atmosphere of the playoff-esque electricity flowing through the crowd during Monday night’s series opener vs. the Yankees. “Just walking out there with this crowd, it feels amazing,” Estévez said. “I know they are crazy about baseball and that’s something I really like. These fans are always really into the game, they pay a lot of attention, and that means they’re cheering for the right things.”

Marsh made sure to give he and Hays some advice about what it means to play in front of the fans in Philadelphia, and what those fans expect to see when watching their teams:

“Playing here in Philly, you gotta play hard no matter if you’re doing good, doing bad, or in between – you gotta play hard and your effort level has got to be up. These people come out and they want to see us grind out there, you know, they want to see us working and they don’t like to see us moving lackadaisical out there…I just tell everyone who comes here to play hard and the success will come, and you just gotta play hard for these guys that come out to watch us.”

Despite being an imposing figure on the hill, Estévez is very jovial and ready to do whatever the team needs – regardless of role. While he enjoyed closing, he knows how manager Rob Thomson handles things and he immediately bought into that philosophy. “If this is what I have to do to win a ring, to get to the playoffs – I don’t mind it because at the end of the day everyone’s pulling their rope to get us there. So I’m gonna hold on to mine and do my job.”

No move guarantees victory for a ball club, but Philadelphia feels more confident than ever at the back end of the bullpen. One thing is certain post deadline – their new top right handed option late in games is ready for the challenge.

Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports