Countdown to a Craig Kimbrel Signing
Craig Kimbrel has been one of the best closers in baseball for nearly a decade. He’s had a 1.91 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP while tallying 333 saves. (BTW: the fastest to 300 saves in baseball history.) He’s the kind of dominant closer that every fan wishes was nailing down games for their team. But the season is a few days away and he still doesn’t have a home.
Now it looks like we might have this sorted out. Heck, I might even be sorted out by the time you’re reading this. Which means you’re only reading this to see how wrong or right I was and you don’t even know me, so maybe the real problem is with you.
It seems the race for the best free agent closer since Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen has been narrowed down to the Braves and the Brewers.
Both of these teams have had injuries to their key bullpen arms. The Brewers have Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel on the shelf and the Braves are worried about possible future ace closer AJ Minter. Knebel might need Tommy John Surgery. This guy can’t catch a break. He started off last season as the closer for Milwaukee. Then had some pitching troubles and got sent to the minors to get it sorted out. He got it sorted out and came back like a house on fire, but Jeffress was now taking care of business.
However, with Jeffress stumbling in the playoffs, Knebel seemed like a shoe in for the closer role this year—along with bullpen monster Josh Hader. Jeffress got injured and the closer role was definitely all Knebel’s.
Now the Brewers are looking at Kimbrel and probably trying to ignore his struggles in the playoffs last year. But it’s not like he was a flash in the pan. He was dominant for most of the year.
The Braves have had a strange off-season and seem to be playing the “slow and steady wins the race” strategy. Their offense is set but there are so many questions about the pitching staff. The plan seems to be to throw all the pitching prospects they have out there and see what sticks. This could handle their starting rotation and bullpen holes. Maybe not. Maybe they could even add Dallas Keuchel.
The NL Central for the Brewers and the NL East for the Braves are looking like two of the most competitive divisions in baseball. Kimbrel would make a significant impact in either race if he signs with one of these teams.
There should be a lot of teams in on a possible Hall of Fame closer available on the open market. Teams are going to be trading away top prospects at the trade deadline for lesser pitchers than Kimbrel. The Twins are acting like contenders and definitely don’t have their end of game guy sorted out. The Cardinals could create a devastating bullpen with the addition of Kimbrel.
But here we are. The Braves should probably have been in on Kimbrel from the get-go. And the Brewers have been forced by the randomness of the universe into the equation and now appear to be the frontrunners.
Hey, remember when Aaron Boone blew out his knee and the Yankees wound up trading for Alex Rodriguez to replace him? The baseball gods work in mysterious ways and they work year-round.
Craig Kimbrel will be on a team soon helping them win games. And there will be a dozen or so teams who can only look back and think what might have been.
