<p>With the free agent reliever market beginning to thin out with Spring Training just around the corner, right-hander Carlos Estévez <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1884750777706582339">has reportedly found a new home</a> in the AL Central. According to ESPN&#8217;s Jeff Passan, Estévez and the Royals have agreed to a contract. The deal is reportedly a two-year pact with a club option for a third year and worth $20 million, <a href="https://www.thescore.com/news/3204217">with the option</a> being worth $13 million (and a $2 million buyout &#8211; pushing the two-year deal to $22 million if the Royals don&#8217;t pick up the option).</p>
<p>The news of Estévez joining the Royals follows on the heels of Kirby Yates and his agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming official earlier today, with the Dodgers adding Yates and southpaw Tanner Scott this winter to an already impressive bullpen corps.</p>
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<p>An eight-year veteran of the big leagues, Estévez&#8217;s career began with the Colorado Rockies, who signed the Dominican product as a free agent in 2011. Making his debut in 2016, the right-hander has spent his entire career in the bullpen and struggled to find a rhythm with the Rockies and their hitter-friendly Coors Field park. Injuries hampered his 2018 campaign, and he spent all season either on the IL or in triple-A before joining the Rockies for the 2019 season.</p>
<h2>Reliever Carlos Estévez reportedly signs a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals</h2>
<p>A free agent for the 2022/2023 offseason, Estévez took his talents to the Los Angeles Angels on a two-year, $13.5 million pact that saw him become the club&#8217;s go-to option in the closer&#8217;s spot. After a stellar start to the campaign, where he made the All-Star team, the reliever finished the year with a 3.90 ERA through 63 outings with 31 saves and an 11.3 K/9 through 62 1/3 innings pitched.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Royals and closer Carlos Estévez agreed to a two-year, $22-million contract. 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/aA4eSB6DgZ">https://t.co/aA4eSB6DgZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/CvaEZpeEu1">pic.twitter.com/CvaEZpeEu1</a></p>
<p>&mdash; theScore (@theScore) <a href="https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1884766358367248421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Last season was Estévez&#8217;s best year so far in his career, with the Dominican product posting a 2.38 ERA through 34 appearances with the Angels, racking up 20 saves and a 0.735 WHIP in the process. He would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline and continued his impressive streak, allowing just six earned runs through 21 innings of work to the tune of a 1.190 WHIP. Collectively, he would finish the year with a 2.45 ERA and a 3.24 FIP through 54 outings, striking out 50 batters and walking just 12.</p>
<p>He also made three appearances for the Phillies during their NLDS series against the Mets, allowing one earned run through 2 2/3 innings while striking out four batters.</p>
<p>Estévez will join a Royals bullpen that features the likes of Lucas Erceg, John Schreiber, Chris Stratton, and Hunter Harvey, with Estévez likely putting himself in a position to close games with his new team.</p>
<p>With Estévez now off the board, teams looking for an impact bullpen arm are starting to run out of pitchers to pivot too.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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With the free agent reliever market beginning to thin out with Spring Training just around the corner, right-hander Carlos Estévez <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1884750777706582339">has reportedly found a new home</a> in the AL Central. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Estévez and the Royals have agreed to a contract. The deal is reportedly a two-year pact with a club option for a third year and worth $20 million, <a href="https://www.thescore.com/news/3204217">with the option</a> being worth $13 million (and a $2 million buyout - pushing the two-year deal to $22 million if the Royals don't pick up the option).

The news of Estévez joining the Royals follows on the heels of Kirby Yates and his agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming official earlier today, with the Dodgers adding Yates and southpaw Tanner Scott this winter to an already impressive bullpen corps.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
An eight-year veteran of the big leagues, Estévez's career began with the Colorado Rockies, who signed the Dominican product as a free agent in 2011. Making his debut in 2016, the right-hander has spent his entire career in the bullpen and struggled to find a rhythm with the Rockies and their hitter-friendly Coors Field park. Injuries hampered his 2018 campaign, and he spent all season either on the IL or in triple-A before joining the Rockies for the 2019 season.
<h2>Reliever Carlos Estévez reportedly signs a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals</h2>
A free agent for the 2022/2023 offseason, Estévez took his talents to the Los Angeles Angels on a two-year, $13.5 million pact that saw him become the club's go-to option in the closer's spot. After a stellar start to the campaign, where he made the All-Star team, the reliever finished the year with a 3.90 ERA through 63 outings with 31 saves and an 11.3 K/9 through 62 1/3 innings pitched.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1884766358367248421

Last season was Estévez's best year so far in his career, with the Dominican product posting a 2.38 ERA through 34 appearances with the Angels, racking up 20 saves and a 0.735 WHIP in the process. He would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline and continued his impressive streak, allowing just six earned runs through 21 innings of work to the tune of a 1.190 WHIP. Collectively, he would finish the year with a 2.45 ERA and a 3.24 FIP through 54 outings, striking out 50 batters and walking just 12.

He also made three appearances for the Phillies during their NLDS series against the Mets, allowing one earned run through 2 2/3 innings while striking out four batters.

Estévez will join a Royals bullpen that features the likes of Lucas Erceg, John Schreiber, Chris Stratton, and Hunter Harvey, with Estévez likely putting himself in a position to close games with his new team.

With Estévez now off the board, teams looking for an impact bullpen arm are starting to run out of pitchers to pivot too.

<hr />

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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