Craig Kimbrel’s numbers suggest he will go down as one of the greatest closers to ever take the mound. But right now, the 30-year-old and his 333 career saves remain very much on the free-agent market, and there doesn’t appear to be a horde of teams lining up to secure the right-hander’s services.
Kimbrel’s resume has done little to drive his own market this offseason, and his lofty asking price, reported as six years at $100 million, has not done him any favors either.
With demand down, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote the Boston Red Sox may remain the best and most likely option for the fireballer, even if the Sox choose to wait it out like they did last season with slugger J.D. Martinez.
“Kimbrel’s best offer may well come from the Boston Red Sox,” Olney wrote. ” …Â Dave Dombrowski might be in pretty much the same position he was last winter with J.D. Martinez. If you recall, the Red Sox made a $100 million, five-year offer to Martinez very early in the offseason … and then they just sat and waited, and waited, and waited, with Dombrowski correctly reading that his was the most interested team, with the highest offer, in a market flush with corner outfield/slugger types. Martinez finally signed in February after the Red Sox nudged their offer to $110 million, far below some of the projections.”
Closer remains one of the Red Sox’s most prominent areas of need, with Dombrowski weighing several options, in house and out, for the ninth inning next season.
In 2018, Kimbrel posted his first 40-save season since 2014, finishing with 42 saves and a 2.74 ERA while striking out 96 and walking 31 in 63 appearances. But the righty recorded an ERA of 4.57 in the second half, and despite finishing 6-for-6 in save opportunities, Kimbrel struggled with command throughout the playoffs, walking eight and hitting two batters in 10 2/3 innings.
