Another closer? How Carlos Estévez strengthens KC Royals’ bullpen for 2025 season
Newly acquired Kansas City Royals pitcher Carlos Estévez took a moment to reflect.
Sporting his new Royals jersey, Estévez stood alongside KC general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro during an introductory news conference on Saturday.
New jersey, new team, new environment and a hefty new contract — amid all this newness, the 32-year-old right-handed reliever summed up his excitement with a familiar phrase:
“I feel like I look good in blue,” he said.
The Royals announced Friday they had signed Estévez to a two-year contract with a club option. He will join a fortified KC bullpen that includes closer Lucas Erceg and high-leverage relievers Hunter Harvey and John Schreiber.
Estévez posted a 2.45 ERA and 26 saves last season. He pitched for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies while recording a 2.1 WAR (wins above replacement).
The Royals had interest in Estévez at the 2024 trade deadline. He was on their short list of potential targets for bullpen help. Club officials researched Estévez but couldn’t swing a deal at the time.
“We had done a lot of work on Carlos last July and felt very comfortable,” Picollo said. “And, when you get on a Zoom call with him, and he is as engaging as he is, and you think about one of the greatest strengths is our clubhouse and our culture, he is going to add to that and he is going to fit right in.”
Estévez also brings more veteran experience. He said he enjoyed watching the Royals from afar last season and hopes to help them return to the postseason.
He knows what it takes to compete at the highest level after pitching with the Phillies in the playoffs.
“You know, you never stop learning,” Estévez said. “That’s one of the sayings that I have. You know, you’re always going to see what can make you better and what you can do to get better. And I love seeing how on that group (Phillies), everyone can close the baseball game. And that felt good knowing, hey, we are going to go attack and we’ve got the roles and everything, but everyone was ready.
“I learned to be ready within the game. So (it was) reading the game like, let me see matchups and all this stuff. And that was really good (for me).”
As for how the Royals plan to use Estévez, Quatraro said there won’t be designated roles heading into spring training. Estévez will get an opportunity to close out games as another late-inning option alongside Erceg.
“He is going to get plenty of opportunities to close games,” Quatraro said. “He’s done it. He’s proven he can do it.”
Quatraro said the Royals look forward to welcoming him into the clubhouse this season.
“What he showed us on the call we had was his selflessness, the win-first mentality and always trying to improve,” Quatraro said. “And that mixed perfectly with the guys we have from last year. When we talked to the guys about bringing Carlos onboard, they were like, ‘Let’s go!’
“We want as many good players as we can get. We want as many good pitchers as we can get, one to 13, on the pitching staff.”
The Royals pivoted to addressing their bullpen after the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. Quatraro told Picollo that adding another reliever would help the team win more games. As the relief market shifted during free agency, the Royals re-engaged with Estévez and hammered out a deal.
“Once we realized the only way for us to get better right now, significantly better, was to pursue Carlos,” Picollo said, “I think it was the right decision for us.
“Offensively, we are going to be fine. But looking at our starting pitching and looking at our bullpen, we are really strong. We’re in a great spot.”
This offseason, the Royals have re-signed pitchers Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen and added infielder Jonathan India.
Estévez brings a dynamic four-seam fastball that averages 96 mph. He also throws an effective changeup, curveball and slider. Last season he utilized his fastball 61.8% of the time and limited opposing hitters to a .198 batting average.
Estévez used his slider and changeup to primarily keep hitters off-balance. The slider was effective in producing a 26.8% whiff rate.
“I kept working on what I have been (doing), and that is to pound the strike zone,” he said. “And I don’t need to get nastier. You know, the word ‘nasty’ gets in a lot of people’s heads. I’ve just got to get consistent. And that’s what I have been trying to keep throughout the offseason with my throwing and everything.”
To make space for Estévez on their 40-man roster, the Royals in a corresponding move designated infielder Braden Shewmake for assignment.
Now, Estévez will get a chance to help the Royals in their pursuit of another postseason run after snapping a nine-year playoff drought in 2024.
“It’s what you want a bullpen to look like ...” Picollo said. “And there is a pretty good balance now.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Another closer? How Carlos Estévez strengthens KC Royals’ bullpen for 2025 season."
