ANAHEIM, Calif. — Angels Manager Ron Washington said Sunday the impact closer Carlos Estevez had on the team will be hard to replace.
“Every time we called upon him for two months, he delivered," Washington said. "We are going to miss that. We can't play that down.
"We are going to miss him, but we do have trust in what we have left."
Estevez was traded Saturday to the Philadelphia Phillies for two pitching prospects, Samuel Aldegheri and George Klassen, who rank within the Angels’ top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
Although excited about what the future holds for their two newest Angels, the team was immediately faced with the task of closing the gap in the bullpen — a difficult task considering the impressive season Estevez has put together. In the final year of his contract, Estevez posted a 2.38 ERA with 20 saves, 32 strikeouts and five walks in 34 innings.
What the Angels have left is a mix of veteran and young talent that Washington will be calling on to step up in the coming weeks. He said his first choice for the closer role is Luis García, 12-year veteran with a 3.80 ERA, 3 saves, 40 strikeouts and 14 walks through 42 2/3 innings this season.
According to Baseball Savant, he’s also logged a 50.8% ground ball rate this year, making him a dependable option in relief arms.
“We have choices, but we're going to start with the most experience and we will work it down,” said Washington.
Although García is set to take on this new role, he’s also a trade candidate. If a that occurs before the Tuesday deadline, Washington said the closing responsibility will fall to hard-throwing Ben Joyce, who has primarily dominated in the setup position.
Joyce has logged 100 mph-plus with 40.9% of his pitches and has held opponents scoreless in 14 straight outings since June 14. Against the Seattle Mariners, he threw this season's hardest pitch thrown by a MLB pitcher — a fastball that clocked 104.5 mph — and set a new career top speed.
Called up to the majors less than a year after being drafted out of the University of Tennessee, Joyce has worked on keeping his velocity consistent and expanding his repertoire with a “splinker” — a unique pitch that combines the velocity of a sinker with the movement of a splitter.
“If García is not here, then we're going to have to throw (Joyce) in the fire," Washington said. "He's the best choice down there once García is not here.
"He's the best choice, and you have to learn on the job. We're going to have full confidence in him to learn on the job.”
Beyond García and Joyce, Washington said there is a possibility that other players will get a chance to close, depending on availability and game situations. One of those players could include Hunter Strickland, who has not allowed an earned run in 36 of 45 relief outings this season.
Washington said he’s focused on the team’s mental strength, ensuring that his players stay sharp in spite of the trade noise.
“In the game of baseball, when you lose somebody, someone else has to step up," he said. "We got a game today. We will have a game the next day, and we will have a game the next day.
"So what we have to do, it's not going to stop, and that's the mindset we are trying to instill into these young kids. You can't do anything about it. You have to get over all of this. That's the adversity in the game of baseball.