Angels News: Who Could Emerge as the Team’s Closer Next Season
One of the Angels' biggest needs this offseason is finding a closer. Really, it's the entire bullpen, but they've lacked a go-to closer to get the final three outs in the ninth inning of their wins.
The Angels have started to address the bullpen — the big move thus far being the addition of RHP Carlos Estevez on a two-year deal. And while he'll get an opportunity to compete for the closer job, he's not necessarily the answer. It may be him, it may be someone else on the roster or it may even be someone who's currently not on the team.
Angels GM Perry Minasian spoke about just how many options they have at the Winter Meetings.
"Our bullpen is wide open," Minasian said. "[Estevez is] going to have a chance to pitch late in the back end, and it’s going to be Phil [Nevin’s] call, but we feel like we’ve got multiple guys that can do that. When the eighth and ninth inning rolls around, we’ve got multiple options, which is what we want."
He said it would be manager Phil Nevin's call — luckily, he was asked the same question at the Winter Meetings. Here's what he said.
"Carlos is going to get a chance to pitch at the end of the game," Nevin said. "I know you guys saw how we ran the bullpen last year. If he emerges as a guy that can finish games like that, I think there's things in his arsenal that we'll be able to add and help him with."
Last year, the Angels had seven different players record at least one save, and five different players record multiple saves. However, half of those saves are now off the roster.
But still, between Jimmy Herget, Ryan Tepera and Jose Quijada, they have 18 of the 38 saves from last season, and one more each from Aaron Loup and Oliver Ortega. With the Rockies last season, Estevez had two saves.
So clearly, there will be options for Nevin come the eighth and ninth inning. But the newly signed Estevez has made it clear what he wants to do.
"I’m not going to lie, it would be great if I won the closer job," Estevez said. "I think having the opportunity to close games for a team like this would be really good for me."
His former manager on the Rockies, Bud Black, thinks Estevez has what it takes to close games.
"We haven’t needed Carlos to step up and be that closer, but for me he does have closer mentality," Black said.
It'll be interesting to see how the Angels go about it, and if their next season closer is even currently on the roster. But it does sound like Estevez will get a chance, and, if it works out, he could turn out to be a steal at the two-year, $13.5 million contract he got.
