The Nationals and Braves “are not ’in’ on” free agent closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic (via Twitter). Whether that’s a truly definitive statement on those two clubs’ engagement with Kimbrel isn’t clear; each has been linked (his former team in Atlanta, especially) over the course of the winter and would surely be interested at the right price. The arms race in the NL East has continued all offseason long and has not really halted with the start of Spring Training. Financial considerations make several teams in the division conceivable suitors for Kimbrel, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined in depth.
More from the NL East:
- Outfielder Michael Conforto says he’s interested in exploring a potential extension with the Mets, per SNY.tv’s Andy Martino, though there’s no indication that talks will occur this spring. Conforto is still under control for three seasons, the first of which will come at a $4.025MM salary. While both he and GM Brodie Van Wagenen say they’re interested in a long-term relationship, Conforto also acknowledges that he doesn’t believe “the time’s here yet” for contract talks. Conforto, who recently celebrated his 26th birthday, says his focus is on the ballfield. He’ll be looking to build off of a strong run through his first four seasons in the majors, over which he carries a .251/.349/.476 slash with 76 home runs.
- Pitching health remains a major storyline in Braves camp; MLB.com’s Mark Bowman covered some updates today (Twitter link). It is beginning to seem questionable whether Mike Foltynewicz will be ready for the start of the season given that he hasn’t yet returned to the mound while resting his elbow. He’s said to be playing catch and feeling good, but evidently hasn’t been cleared to ramp things back up. Meanwhile, relievers Darren O’Day and A.J. Minter are each dealing with some issues — forearm for the former and shoulder for the latter. The expectation is that these minor maladies won’t prevent the two bullpen pieces from being ready for the start of the season — which the team will certainly hope to be the case, with Minter in particular representing a key member of the pen. Otherwise, the Braves have made some initial decisions on which of their young hurlers will continue to compete for active roster spots. As David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets, the Atlanta organization has sent a host of hurlers back to minors camp, including many of the team’s most exciting prospects. Among them, only Luiz Gohara has prior MLB experience. He has been slowed in camp by shoulder issues.
Braves updates are always what they won’t be doing lol…how are there ‘Rumors’ of things that won’t be happening?!?! Not MLBTR fault…good ol’ Braves front office smh
Got a good laugh out of that. Being a Braves fan can hurt a little. If we arent laughing then we would be crying.
I always heard the Braves are planning to build a new stadium. The rumors that I have always heard is that they hate there new Stadium.
What??
They like their new stadium. They are earning almost $100m more in revenue. They just don’t want to spend more like they said they would.
this guy is a troll. dont feed them and they go away.
Noticed my mistake after I commented.
They said they’d be shopping any isle. Doesn’t mean they’d overspend on someone like Brantley or Cutch. I swear, Braves fans are such sallies.
Brantley’s contract would not have been an overspend. He’s so much better overall than Markakis and fits that lineup and defense perfectly.
That really depends on how far off you see Pache and/or Riley’s ability to transition to COF. Pache looked great in AFL and ST (so far) and doesn’t look too far off.
Inciarte off to his annual cold start til the all-star break AGAIN while pache is tearing it up and just went blammo again.. Ender better figure it out faster this year because someone wants his spot and seems to be in every highlight reel on the Braves website this spring..
A career.289 hitter who’s won 3 straight gold gloves. I could see why you would have him on the hot seat
You’re not going to be losing much if anything in pache’s glove and if inciarte is hitting around the mendoza line til he figures it out by the all-star break you look at trading him if the price is right.
I love the guys heart and passion for the game, but his replacement is definitely knocking down the door unless the Braves make a dumb move and trade pache (which shouldn’t and won’t happen, esp beings how cheap the FO has been of late.)
When Enders hitting like second half of 2017 he’s a major spark plug and asset. When he’s not, he’s as big as hole in the lineup as dansby when’s he’s struggling at the same time. Time will tell..
No, you’ve gotten that wrong. The proper way of phrasing that is “The Braves are not intending to say at their current stadium.” See. That’s about what they’re not doing.
I think it’s just a negotiating ploy. Braves and other teams hold all the power over Kimbrel, because they don’t need him but he needs a job. Teams are reluctant to dish out a huge longterm contract to him because of how badly he ended last season, and rightfully so. Relievers often “lose it” very fast. If he’s smart, he’ll take the biggest 1-year contract he can get and hopefully re-establish his value this season.
Yes. AA is notorious for not doing anything.
Typical corporate structure..
It’s just Bowden guessing and hitting send. I find it hard to believe anything he reports, unless it’s a story he’s copied from someone else more reputable!!
Dude is a gas bag that just likes to try and pretend he is still relevant. I honestly feel sorry for anyone that puts any stock into what he has to say, because they are about 98% setting themselves up for failure..Why not 100% you ask?? Well yeah [enter blind squirrel reference here]. lol
It’s mind-blowing that the Braves haven’t done more to get better
Braves still have tons of talent tied to young names we don’t know yet. They do for getting better by big spends on player development personnel too.
Yes, they need a ace and legit bulllpen piece and they could easily be favorites to win it all they are so close.
There is no ace to be had nor was there really one available. There was almost no chance a team outside the northeast was going to sign Corbin. Paxton wasnt worth risking a healthy year on. Kluber/Bauer was no longer available once the Indians cut payroll sufficiently and once BVW took over the Mets, Syndagaard and DeGrom were off the shopping list.
it’s sad if you really believe that. Paxton has had health issues but is worth what the Yankees gave up and the Braves have more expendable top 100 prosoects than the yankees had at the time of the trade. if they were aggressive they could’ve been in play for Kluber BEFORE they made those other deals. Braves are in a position where they should use money or prospects to take that great lead fwd and instead did little as the other teams made moves to close the gap.
Are you always so emotional when it comes to discussion? Sad?
Paxton has thrown 160 innings just once. Saying he’s had his issues is an understatement.
You wanted the Braves to do a rush job trade to get either Kluber\Bauer from the Indians? Aces are already expensive. Can you imagine the price a rush order would cost? Besides that its easy for you to say that in hindsight. Should the Braves have known the Indians would cover enough expense and pull Kluber off the market?
Not saying the Braves did all they should have but there wasnt much to be done for an ace. Yes, I believe this because it’s reality.
how is that “emotional”. could care less whether ppl feel the Paxton deal was good or not. Time will reveal that. everything i said rings true. everyone knew of the Indians intent and that trading one of Klubet/Bauer was NOT their only option.
whether resigning Cc and trading for Paxton was a good or bad move, i respect the fact that Cashman knew his team’s weakness was starting pitching and by November 20th made sure the yanks had at least Tanaka, Severino, Paxton and Sabathia penciled in so that when they engaged Corbin, Happ or whomever via free agency or engaged with the Mets, Indians or Giants in trade discussion they weren’t operating from a vantage point of pure desperation. Therefore, they improved their level of needs. how that playoffs out, we’ll see but i appreciate the assertiveness of Cashman’s moves relating to starting pitching.
im NOT insinuating that the Braves DIDN’T have talks but the end, they held on to their money and their outfielders and they didn’t do as much as they could’ve. while the Nats lost Harper they added so much more as have the Phillies. Even the Mets made upgrade.
there’r branded were 35-22 vs the Phillies, Mets and Nats. 8 game lead they won by. doesn’t take more than a 3-4 more wins each to lose the division, especially if they’re unlucky with injuries or regression to some of their vets and young players.
You started off your response to me with the statement of thats sad thus the refefence to emotion.
Your ring of truth doesnt give any back story: That they should have traded BEFORE they were unavailable is complete hindsight. Sure, they had other deals going but I doubt Cleveland was sending out memo’s saying they have to cover this much salary until their pitchers are pold back so make sure ypu keep your tracker going. Also, I brought up a plethora of aces that were thought to be available and gave reasons why they weren’t. So if you want to refute those or can think of ones I havent, feel free.
You already said trading for Paxton was a good move when tou said he was worth what they traded for him. I cant just dismiss his history of injuries the way you do.
When you said the Braves held onto their outfielders, Im assuming for the moment you meant pitchers. If you reread what I said I only said their really werent ACES available. They NEEDED an right fielder and I believe they missed their chance with Brantley. He was an injury risk also but he settled for a 2 year contract for $32 million. For 2 years they should have tried a little harder as they were said to be in for a little less than $16 million.
The Braves need a new stadium. That’s the only way they will get better.
Still can’t find SunTrust? GPS can be difficult.
It’s called “sarcasm” if you don’t know what this is. The whole point of the new stadium was to get more competitive. I can’t say that they have made use of the additional revenue except to pay down on their investment. Seems like it was a boondoggle.
The other option as VINCE SUGGESTS IS: BUILD ANOTHER STADIUM.
Hahahaha…. This is all BS man. We Braves fans were promised a lot but didn’t get much back with this new stadium except to increase the value of the Braves franchise. let’s see…. what’s next ? New TV deal in 2027 ? and of course more promises ?
I find it really hard to believe with this much increased revenue that there was no way to increase the Braves payroll by a measly $10-$20 million. It’s simple math: Increase the competitiveness of the team which makes it more likely the team will go further into the playoffs and hence more $$$. That money would easily pay off the increase in payroll. Makes sense to me.
I’m not saying Kluber or someone else was available. There are plenty of other players they could have made deals for. It’s plainly obvious that the team didn’t try very hard or hard enough clearly because they had no intention of going past $118 million. They spent all their money in the first month of the off season then proceeded to make fans believe they were in the running for all kinds of players.
the stadium itself will roll is tons of revenue for years to come for not only the Braves but for Smyrna. I dont pretend to know the numbers but I doubt they’ll ever be upside on it lol….its crazy that we were lead to believe 2019 was the year to make big splashes only to carry less payroll than the previous season. Read somewhere the saved payroll perhaps to help pay off some debt for the season… It’s not too far off Loria and the Marlins did when they built their stadium bamboozling the city, fans and taxpayers but somehow it has come with less backlash cause the Battery is such a cool area I guess
I think DMC understands sarcasm. I think YOU dont understand whit though. What he said himself was a joke.
Some ppl get it.. Economics 101: good product=good demand.
New stadium was supposed to equal better product when we’re basically STILL relying on the farm and 3 new mid 30s signings. Jodo, it’s not all your fault but you got a lot of pressure on you to perform this year my man!
Like mcgriff, jd drew, texieria, type pressure..
Well they did finish in first last year. They are a pretty solid team to begin with. Donaldson and McCann were nice signings as well.
So it’s not like they did nothing. It’s just that the Nats, Mets and especially Phillies made a lot of major moves.
Liked partly for the comment, mostly because that is an awesome user name.
It’s mind-blowing to think there were major moves they could have made.
Phillies, Nats, and Mets didn’t seem to have a problem making major moves
Really?
– Signed two of the top 40 free agents (Donaldson and Markakis).
– Also signed McCann which will help as their catching platoon was fairly weak against righties last year.
– Made trades late last year that should be counted, including Gausman, Venters, O’day, Dayton, Duvall.
Seriously, the only thing you can say they didn’t do is spend whopping amounts of money on aging and over-priced free agents. Didn’t Braves fans see enough of that the last decade or so (Uggla, Upton, Upton, Kemp, Harang, etc, etc, etc.)
The same money they can use to fill in a piece or two at the trade deadline. Money they can use down the road to extend Albies, Acuna, Folty, Newcomb, Swanson or maybe Camargo. Money they might use to sign Donaldson to a longer deal if he has a solid season and likes it here.
Mack is right. Some Braves fans just don’t get it. I am not certain some of you would be happyif they had signed Machado, Harper, Corbin, Keuchel, Kimbrel, Grandal, Eovaldi, Pollock, Happ, Brantley and traded for Trout, Realmuto, Kluber, DeGrom and 10 other all-stars.
Donaldson and Markakis were on 1 year contracts. Markakis is considered to be a reliable player who won’t hurt the team’s performance. Donaldson is a big question mark.
The Braves aren’t spending and they should have been if they want to maintain their competitive spot.
Kimbrel 5/70. Front loader. 25.15.15.10.5.
With expensive buyout options.
No opt outs.
Stay for Boston for two runs with current core. Then become cheap veteran trade bait.
that doesnt help with luxury tax issue.
Might have gotten 70m early in the offseason had not started out asking for exhorbant amount, if rumors were true of the 100m ask. Same with Keichal and the really out of line asking price Boras was trying to get for him which nobody would have met, even when teams were over paying players in their 30’s.
It’s possible, but it doesn’t sound like anybody was even kicking the tires on him at more than 1 year. Free agents’ asking price is rarely what they actually sign at because it’s expected there will be negotiation.
Dec 18th
“The All-Star closer is “believed” to have dropped his asking price on his next contract from $96 million to $86 million, FanCred’s Jon Heyman reported Thursday.
According to Heyman, though, that number is still “too rich” for the Boston Red Sox — by a good margin, it appears. The Red Sox are interested in re-signing Kimbrel but are aiming for a four-year contract in “the $60 million to $70 million range, or perhaps a bit over that,” Heyman reported.
Kimbrel initially sought a deal worth more than $100 million over six years, so it appears Boston is making progress. The 30-year-old may not take much more of a discount, though. Aroldis Chapman recently signed an $86 million deal, and Kimbrel arguably has a similar resume, with seven All-Star appearances and a 42-save season in 2018.”
nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/mlb-rumors-craig-kimb…
Kimbrel is one of the most dominant closers of all time. His peripherals took a dip last year, but were still stellar by any measure. Long term, ultra dominant closers have a great track record of aging. The following recent history closers were effective through (age) Joe Nathan (38). Fernando Rodney (37), Mariano Rivera (44). Trevor Hoffman (41). Jonathan Papelbon (35).
Historically, there’s little reason to suspect Kimbrel’s wheels are going to fall off any time soon. He’s very likely to remain one of the most dominant closers in MLB for the foreseeable future.
Jim Bowden? I thought he said Kimbrel was thinking of taking a year off?
You guys hear the Mets’ big hire?
Jessica Mendoza (special adviser)
She’s better than you think.
In what way?
Yes, if you want to know more about Softball rules! She acts like she’s one of the boys!
How many male Softball coaches are out there. Does anyone ever question their knowledge of the game. Most men have never played fast pitch softball. Stop being so GD ignorant. Mendoza knows her stuff. People with small…I mean…fragile egos are the only ones getting upset by this.
‘its gonnnaaa rain’ (eeyore voice)… bwhahaha I crack myself up
I think your projecting here mm.
Yea, at a Q&A with the media about her joining the Mets, she was put on the Injured List (lost her voice).
Mets can’t get a break.
Trust me that’s the break the baseball world needed
I wish Jessica Mendoza great success. But if the Mets’ bats are suddenly shaped differently on opening day, I’m BLAMING HER.
Didn’t the Yankees hire the guy who sat, literally, right next to her (and has no more qualifications than her) to be their manager?
Lol I like the idea that the Mets just did that to try and keep up with the Yankees.
Aww, our lil’ Xabes is getting into the babes.
Next will be the voice cracking… it’s getting to be that time for “changes”
This is relevant how? That’s days old news
are any of his comments relevant??
clepto, you are more irrelevant than anyone.
Here’s a hint why:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Yt0xJKDY8
Clepto got a crush on X
Pretty misogynistic.
You mean O’Day isn’t healthy? I’m shocked
Good luck on an extension with three years left of control, Conforto. You’re a Met, baby!
A ton of talent but hasn’t cracked the code yet.
I just don’t get it. Bullpen was BY FAR our biggest offseason need. This FA market was loaded and we haven’t made one move to improve the bullpen. It’s not like cheaper option other than kimbrell weren’t out there. It just blows my mind.
We have done very little to get better while the teams around us got dramatically better.
I agree. Very frustrating. “Biggest” signings were veterans who we can all pray stay healthy and contribute in Donaldson, McCann, and Markakis. I know the pitching depth in the organization is there but it’s all unproven… and unhealthy right now. I’m not suggesting spending money just to spend money but I think trying to keep up and be better than the rest of the division is important. Sometimes as a Braves fan I wonder if they want to win…
I believe as an organization they are committed to winning (minus Liberty). However, it seems that ALL OF THE FINANCIAL MOVES have benefited only Liberty. I believe the stadium was a boondoggle to increase the value of the franchise since the excuse has been that they are putting increased revenue back into paying off debt. Whether that results in a sale at some point is hard to say. Long term for MLB I think they need to stop letting corporate interests buy baseball clubs.
Anyway… It would have been nice to sign 1-2 EFFECTIVE players. Markakis is one year older and not likely to play a full season. When fans are told that he was worn out in the second half and it’s likely he will platoon with a guy who hit .100 for the Braves that’s not a good sign. We got a worn out catcher who is just one step away from retirement. He may produce who knows but he ain’t gettin’ any younger. Love McCann but he is on the downside of his career. Donaldson has a history of injury over two seasons. Good luck with that. We can only hope. If all three happen to produce, the Braves will have made some good investments.
Even if the Braves made better moves in the off season they still need to have at least 2 young starters step up and do a Folty. So I don’t think they would have gotten to the World Series anyway by spending more money. They could have–you just never know– but if you ask me it all hinges on one or two of Newcomb, Fried, Toussaint, Soroka, Gohara, Wilson, or Wright stepping up and having a great season.
All I can say is that despite not making any HUGE moves in the off season, If their young guys produce, it will increase their value exponentially and will provide even greater value in trades going into next year. Maybe they will have enough currency to pull off a Kluber like trade without having to sacrifice nearly as much. I mean, the team can only fit so many young guys on the roster before they have to make trades !
I’ve been saying for years the liberty media, and all corporations, should not be allowed to own teams. It will always be about their bottom line and interests first and the success of the team last.
I reallyyyyy don’t like making excuses but the bullpen is likely to be better this year despite basically doing NOTHING.
Vizcaino should be over his arm issues, Biddle, Carle, and Sobotka will have another year of experience, Winkler hopefully can put together another good season. Freeman, well, I think he sucks but hopefully he can walk fewer guys ! They have Darren O’Day this year and he should be ready to go. This is a big addition. Hopefully Minter doesn’t have a serious injury and can build off of last year. Hopefully Venters arm holds up. Grant Dayton and Patrick Wiegel are available this year. Not sure if Wiegel will pitch out of the bullpen but it’s not like he has a choice unless he spends the year at AAA. There’s other relievers but these are most of the key ones.
Hopefully the new pitching coach will put renewed emphasis on throwing strikes. Which is what a bullpen guy is supposed to do. NO NIBBLING THE CORNERS ! Supposed to get in there and blow hitters away. That’s it end of story.
I’ve written from the beginning of the off season Felt Kimbrel would be back with the Braves..He’s still very good..The Phillies have been linked to him also, but they have 3 closers right now…if he did go Philly, that would be one crazy pen. But, the Phils wouldn’t go that extra year with Corbin..maybe he’d take 3 at $70
All offseason we were lead to believe as Braves fans they could spend money. They did for one year with Donaldson but other than Markakis and MCCann nothing!! Kimbrel is there for the taking, Braves fans would embrace it and buy more tickets and bottom line we need a closer!! AA go get him!!
I don’t know about buying more tickets for Kimbrel. Closers aren’t exactly a big draw.
I don’t know, it’s fun to see the flames go up and hear a little gnr
I’m not sure the issue is $. I believe it is more the draft pick the Braves would have to give up. After being stripped of all that talent as punishment for what Coppy did, the Braves put a lot of value on those draft picks they are left with.
It is absolutely about money. The draft pick costs much less than Kimbrel. Liberty Media sucks.
Folty, Soroka, Gohara, Minter, O’Day … Braves facing some issues. Let those young guys start in the rotation (Toussaint, Wright, Fried).
The NL East is going to be so fun to watch, between all 5 teams. Games that the PHI,Nats,Braves,Mets play agoant the Marlins will
Be nail bitters as whichever team has the best record against the fish coils really help determine the division. A fair amount of lame duck teams in the NL, fans of PHI,ATL,WAS,and NYM “should” have a lot of meaningful games to watch this year. Good luck to all your fav teams, psyched to get the season started. Been a long time since the NL EAst was this competitive
Actually the entire National League is going to be fun to watch this year.
Unlike the AL, where 10 teams are already making plans for Spring Training 2020…..
The Braves have enough to compete in the division as is. Presuming they are in it in July, I hope they make a move or two.
Compete,yes. Win, no.
Don’t think Kimbrel is coming to the Nats at this point, though they just released one of their lefty setup guys, Solis.
You have to wonder how guys like Bowden, Nightengale, and Olney that are almost always wrong keep their jobs?