Reds in talks to potentially take top reliever off the board in free agency

Despite the lack of absorbing transactions so far this offseason, there is no reason to believe that the Cincinnati Reds can't compete within the National League Central, especially with a new manager like Terry Francona. The opportunity is there if the front office is willing to reach out and snatch it.

One way of inching closer to battling at the top of the division once again is by strengthening the bullpen. According to recent reports, the ball club is making attempts to do just that.

For the second time in the last month, the former All-Star reliever Carlos Estévez has been linked with no other than Francona's Reds. Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Reds 'are engaged in talks for free agent closer', who is coming off two straight 25-plus save campaigns. A few weeks ago, Jon Heyman of the New York Post listed the Ohio outfit as one of the clubs interested in the 2023 All-Star.

As a team looking to be much more competitive under Francona, bringing in a high-leverage reliever who two seasons ago had an 11.3 punchouts per nine total makes a lot of logical sense. He'd join Alexis Díaz in the back end of the Cincinnati bullpen, another closer with an All-Star selection to his name that finished the previous season pretty well. His campaign overall though was very much a rollercoaster. Bringing in Estévez for more backend support in dire situations is an intelligent decision.

The right-hander is regarded as the best remaining relief arm left on the shelf. Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Jeff Hoffman have all recently come off the board. Hoffman, Estévez's now former teammate with the Phillies, joined the Blue Jays, while Scott and Kirby added to the juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Even though he isn't an outfielder, Carlos Estévez would be a quality get for the Cincinnati Reds

The 32-year-old Dominican Republic pitcher posted a 2.45 earned run average across 55 innings pitched in 2024 for teams -- the Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels. Estévez was dealt by the Angels to the City of Brotherly Love at last season's trade deadline as the Phils hoped to make yet another deep postseason run. Things didn't turn out as planned obviously. Estévez would go on to most notably give up the iconic grand slam to Francisco Lindor in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Cincinnati's bullpen ranked 10th in the National League last season, just behind the New York Mets.
Estévez would likely improve the ceiling of the Reds' bullpen. He is essentially a three pitch pitcher with a fastball that averages just under 97 miles per hour, and a changeup that saw opponents slug just .190 against it in 2024.

The clear need for the Reds is in the lineup, particularly the outfield. No team in the NL received worse offensive output from its outfielders than Cincinnati last year. Nevertheless, the acquisition of Estévez is one that solves another one of the team's most glaring issues -- bullpen depth.