With the NL Central looking like it's going to be wide open this coming season, the Cincinnati Reds are looking to do their part in making the race for the division crown that much more crowded. To that end, the Reds are looking to bolster their bullpen by reportedly being in on one of the most solid relievers left in free agency, Carlos Estevez.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Reds are “engaged in talks” for Estevez, the man who ended last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. Estevez saved six games for the Phillies last season as they were figuring out their bullpen picture, which is a continuation of his strong track record as a ninth-inning pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels for one and a half seasons in 2023 and 2024, when he saved a combined 46 games for the Halos.

The Reds ranked 18th last season in bullpen ERA, and last season, they had the fewest save opportunities in the MLB. But with them intending to build off of last season's 77-85 finish, they could end up being in more close games in 2025, making it imperative for them to grab a more battle-tested ninth-inning option than last year's closer, Alexis Diaz, who put up a 3.99 ERA last season and had an unimpressive 55:31 strikeout to walk ratio.

Meanwhile, Estevez finished last season with a 2.45 ERA, and even though his strikeout rate went down during his Phillies stint, he was able to induce plenty of ground balls while limiting hard contact. But the Reds will be hoping that his strikeout rate goes up should they finalize a deal with the veteran reliever, as missing bats tend to bode well for a reliever's performance.

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Can the Reds compete for the NL Central crown in 2025?

Phillies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez celebrates
© Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The 2024 season was a bit of a step back for the Reds; they finished 2023 with an 82-80 record, so it was not too promising for them to be five games worse the following campaign. In more ways than one, however, they were unlucky last year; they had a positive run differential and yet wasn't able to squeeze out many clutch wins. Perhaps having a better bullpen would help.

It is definitely a concern for the Reds that their offensive production as a team dipped last season. In 2023, they scored 783 runs; last year, that number fell all the way down to 699. Their pitching improvements will have to be paired with some offensive reinforcements if they were to seize the NL Central crown.