Two former Angels played integral roles in sinking the Phillies' season

Brandon Marsh and Carlos Estévez might get run out of Philadelphia now that their season is over.

The Phillies had the second best record in MLB this season and fervent title aspirations, but were swiftly eliminated in the NLDS by their division rival. The Mets advanced to the NLCS for the first time since 2015 by beating the Phillies 3-1. The Phillies lost the World Series in 2022, lost in the NLCS in 2023, and now in the NLDS.

The deciding moment in Game 4 involved a familiar face for the Angels. With 1 out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th inning, Rob Thomson decided to enter his closer into the game. Carlos Estévez had not pitched before the 8th inning all season, and was tasked with facing one of the world's best players with a 1-0 game. Four pitches later, Francisco Lindor cranked a grand slam and the Phillies found themselves trailing 4-1. Estévez pitched in Game 3 the night before, albeit in a way lower-leverage situation. The Phillies trailed 6-2 in the 8th, when Estévez promptly walked the leadoff batter, struck out Luisangel Acuña, then made a comically bad error. In a moment of heavy foreshadowing, Lindor doubled in a run off Estévez two batters after the error. Estévez went three-up, three-down en route to a pivotal hold in Game 2.

Estévez is not the only former Halo who Phillies fans detest right now, as Brandon Marsh is also provoking the ire of the City of Brotherly Love. Marsh's career has been defined by his streakiness, and the dark side of said streakiness was on full display in the NLDS. He went 1 for 13 against the Mets, with the 1 hit being an infield single.

It's hard to say that the Angels definitively won the two trades that sent Marsh and Estévez to Philadelphia, as that could easily just be recency bias speaking. Estévez is a free agent now, but the Phillies desperately needed bullpen reinforcements at the trade deadline. He recorded 6 saves for the Phillies in 20 games pitched (he did blow 2 saves). Marsh has been a mainstay of the Phillies' postseason lineup during his 2.5 seasons with Philadelphia, and is a beloved figure in their locker room. Marsh has clearly been a winning player for a winning franchise the past 3 seasons. However, Logan O'Hoppe and George Klassen are cornerstone pieces for the Angels moving forward, while Marsh and Estévez could have easily played their last games for Philadelphia in this year's NLDS.

In his 4 professional seasons, Marsh has a whopping 32.8% K%. When the Angels dealt Marsh for O'Hoppe, the outfielder was striking out 36.2% of the time. The Angels' top brass found that to be an irreparable quality for their former top prospect. Marsh cut down on his strikeouts in 2022 and 2023, but his K% in 2024 trickled back up to 32.4%. While he is under contract through the 2027 season, the Phillies are still in win-now mode and their President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, will trade anybody at anytime. Marsh's 1 for 13 showing against the Mets could prompt an offseason shake-up, as Philadelphia's 2024 outfield fWAR of 5.1 ranked 19th in MLB. They clearly need to upgrade their outfield if they want to make it back to the World Series in 2025.

Angels fans are wondering if there could be a reunion with Estévez in the not-so-distant future. While this is plausible, it does not seem realistic. The closer will have a robust market, and his asking price might be a touch too high for the Angels who will likely prioritize position players in free agency.