Philadelphia Phillies reliever Carlos Estévez has recently been connected to contending teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays in free agency.
Both the Blue Jays and Reds need to add top-end talent at the back end of their bullpen. Jon Heyman of the New York Post projected Estévez to sign for $33 million. That's well within both team's price ranges.
Following the Blue Jays signing reliever Jeff Hoffman from the Phillies, FanSided's Jacob Mountz now claims the Reds are the favorites to land Estévez by default.
"Now, it seems the Blue Jays' search for bullpen help is over. The Jays announced a three-year deal for another star reliever in Jeff Hoffman. By default, this update launches Cincinnati into the driver's seat," Mountz wrote. "However, this development should be met with cautious optimism. Atkins may have signed Hoffman as a reliever, however, if their search for a starter produces nothing, Hoffman could be moved to the rotation."
The Reds are in the market to add talent at just about every position. After bringing in Terry Francona to manage the team, it seems as though the Reds are ready to take their team to the next level.
Considering them favorites feels like a stretch, though. While the Reds have reportedly shown interest in the hard-throwing righty, that doesn't particularly mean that no other teams are interested in him.
Estévez's market is likely to heat up over the next few weeks as the Reds remain in the hunt.
More MLB: Phillies Predicted To Pursue $54 Million Closer To Replace Carlos Estévez
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