June 7, 6:44pm: The team has formally announced the contract.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network has further details. (Links to Twitter.) Games-finished escalators can boost the option buyout value from the $1MM base; Kimbrel can add another $1MM apiece by reach 53 games finished in 2020 and 2021. The option vests if Kimbrel finishes 110 total games between 2020 and 2021, at least 55 of which come in the latter season, and a doctor determines that he does not have a “non-temporary” injury (the details of which are surely defined in the contract).
Kimbrel also picks up no-trade protection. He can’t be dealt this season without his approval. He’ll have an eight-team no-trade list for the 2020 season. The deal does not provide any limitations thereafter.
9:11am: Kimbrel has passed his physical, per Heyman (Twitter links), and an introductory press conference is set to take place prior to today’s game.
June 5, 9:06PM: The deal pays Kimbrel $10MM this season, and $16MM in both 2020 and 2021, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). There is a vesting option for 2022 that pays Kimbrel $16MM if it vests, Heyman reports (via Twitter), while it becomes a club option if it doesn’t vest. The buyout of the option year is $1MM.
Also from Passan, Kimbrel could potentially join the Cubs before June 20. The closer “has been electric” in workouts in front of scouts.
8:21PM: Craig Kimbrel’s long wait in the free agent market is over. The closer has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Cubs that will become official once Kimbrel passes a physical, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (links to Twitter). Rosenthal originally reported the dollar figure as close to $45MM, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that Kimbrel will be paid $43MM (via Twitter) through the 2021 season. Kimbrel is represented by SportsMeter.
Unsurprisingly, Kimbrel’s protracted time on the open market wrapped up shortly after the amateur draft. Since Kimbrel turned down a one-year, $17.9MM qualifying offer from the Red Sox, any team that signed the veteran closer had to give up some type of compensation in the form of at least one draft pick, plus potentially international signing bonus money and even another pick depending on the identity of the team who landed Kimbrel. However, this draft pick compensation no longer applied to Kimbrel (or fellow free agent holdout Dallas Keuchel) once draft day hit, removing one of the key hangups any interested team might have had about a signing.
As well, Kimbrel and his representatives aimed very high in their initial contract demands, reportedly looking for a nine-figure deal that would’ve set a new record for a free agent closer. That said, it’s very common for free agents to hit the market with a big asking price as a starting point, yet Kimbrel’s market never seemed to really develop even as the offseason continued and his contract demands fell into the three-year range.
It could be that the market has simply shifted, and front offices are no willing to commit the type of long-term financial commitments (especially with draft and international market penalties involved) for free agent stoppers that were available to the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, or Mark Melancon just as recently as the 2016-17 offseason. That said, it’s still a surprise to realize that over a third of the season elapsed before any club was willing to ink a player with as sterling a track record of ninth-inning success as Kimbrel.
With a career 1.91 ERA, 14.7 K/9, and 4.23 K/BB rate over nine seasons and 532 2/3 career innings, Kimbrel’s resume could very well eventually land him in Cooperstown down the road. While 2018 wasn’t as dominant as some of his past years, Kimbrel still seemed to have a viable platform year with a 2.74 ERA, 13.86 K/9, and 3.10 K/BB over 62 1/3 frames for the World Series-champion Red Sox.
Beyond the surface numbers, however, there were some red flags. It was hard to ignore Kimbrel’s increased struggles in the second half of last season, and then through Boston’s playoff run (a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 postseason innings). Kimbrel has also had some control issues in two of the last three seasons, with a 4.48 BB/9 last year and a 5.09 BB/9 in 2016. These issues could have been enough for teams to hesitate about guaranteeing five or six years to a pitcher in his 30’s (Kimbrel turned 31 in late May) when he was perhaps already showing some signs of slowing down.
Multiple teams were linked to Kimbrel’s market at various points over the last seven months, including several showing increased interest in the last couple of weeks as the draft (or, the qualifying offer expiration date) approached on June 3. The Rays, Phillies, Braves, Brewers, Twins, Nationals, and Red Sox all had some degree of interest while Kimbrel was available.
While the Cubs always seemed like a good on-paper fit, they seemingly only emerged late in the game due to some unexpected luxury tax room opening up. Ben Zobrist’s placement on the restricted list on May 8 means that his salary no longer counted towards Chicago’s luxury tax calculations, and if Zobrist misses the entire season (which seems increasingly likely at this juncture), the Cubs would have around $9MM to work with, money has seems to have fueled their push for Kimbrel.
Theo Epstein and company headed into the offseason with a need for bullpen help, with closer Brandon Morrow undergoing elbow surgery in November and still without a clear timetable to return. Despite needs in the pen and elsewhere on the roster, however, the Cubs were very circumspect about their winter spending, due to a desire to stay under the maximum luxury tax threshold and team chairman Tom Ricketts’ controversial claim that “we don’t have any more” to spend.
Prior to the Kimbrel signing, Roster Resource projected the Cubs at just over $227.7MM in luxury tax payroll, putting the team in line for a 20% tax on every dollar spent above the $206MM luxury tax line, and then an additional 12% surtax for going more than $20MM over the line. The average annual value of Kimbrel’s deal works out to $14.333MM per season, thus keeping the Cubs from exceeding the $246MM maximum penalty threshold. Spending more than $246MM would cost the Cubs 62.5% surcharge on the overage, and their top draft pick in 2020 would be dropped by ten slots.
So it could be a win-win situation for Chicago, as the team looks to both avoid the top tax threshold while also getting a closer to bolster a bullpen that has generally been around the middle of the pack this season. With Pedro Strop returning from the injured list and now Kimbrel’s addition, the Cubs suddenly have a much deeper pen to help them in their fight to win the NL Central. Signing Kimbrel prior to June 3 would’ve cost the Cubs not only more money in salary, but also $500K in international bonus pool money and their second-highest pick in the 2019 draft (which ended up being the 64th overall selection).
For Kimbrel and his representatives, landing a multi-year contract represents some measure of a victory after the long wait, as several suitors were only interested in inking Kimbrel to a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2019 campaign. While three years and $43MM is considerably less than Kimbrel expected at the start of the winter, the term isn’t far from four years/$70MM predicted by MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 50 Free Agents list back at the start of November, though nobody could’ve expected the wild path Kimbrel could take to eventually land his next contract. If Kimbrel ends up pitching up to expectations, one suspects several teams will be kicking themselves over not signing Kimbrel when they had the chance.
The stopper is undoubtedly relieved to simply get his focus back on baseball, as he’ll now join a contender in pursuit of another World Series ring. The question now is when Kimbrel will actually join the Cubs, as while he has been training on his own in preparation for the season, it remains to be seen how long it will take for him to ramp up to be ready for MLB hitters. The other looming question could concern Kimbrel’s effectiveness, as other players whose qualifying offer-induced long waits in free agency (Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales in 2014) both struggled badly after sitting out months of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Haha yes! Thank you Theo!
There will be buyer’s remorse in the end.
They haven’t even announced the contract details yet, or even contract length. Just on the surface, it seems like a gamble the Cubs needed to take.
11 blown saves already. Got to do something.
I think that is a distinct possibility. Dude is a quality pitcher and his WhIP was awesome last season. But, some of those 9th inning antics were heart stopping. Dude K’s and W’s per 9 climbed exponentially last season. Oh, and over his career if he gets worked to a 3-2 count he walks about half the time. A walk and flyball in the wind could be problematic.
The ONLY argument that matters.
Good luck to both Kimbrel and the Cubs. Could end up being great for both. That said, I continue to argue that Kimbrel’s visual performance in two out of his three seasons in Boston did not match his stats. On paper he definitely helps the Cubs (or most teams) but time will tell if the nail biting everyone will do ends up with a championship.
By “visual performance” you actually mean your subjective opinion, of course. There’s nothing else you could possibly mean.
And once you use the appropriate wording, your statement becomes: “I continue to argue that my subjective opinion of Kimbrel’s performance did not match his stats.”.
A lot less convincing. A lot more honest, however, and honesty is better than even the most convincing lies.
The Cubs with the players they have and a good manager and the additional of KIMBALL they be favorite for the World Series. My BRAVES my question are u committed to win a CHAMPIONSHIP or to making money and then being profitable.Your weakness Braves will be your downfall your BULLPEN.I am a dead heart Braves fan i will continue to support them,but man this HURT NOT SIGNING KIMBALL his hometown man its and old saying “SCARE MONEY DO NOT WIN MONEY AND JEALOUS MAN CANNOT WORK.Braves thats YOU.Braves love young players they are CHEAP pay less profit more.
Yes and lost two games when they had scored ten runs.
If you watched Kimbrel pitch you would understand. He got bailed out by the outfield many times and his wildness always left Sox fans nervous. Watching is convincing. By your standards only wins and losses mean anything. True enough looking backwards but you pay today based on your future expectations. The game is no longer rewarding in most cases for past performance.
The aforementioned was directed at Stanfield123.
By visual performance he clearly is indicating, as a Red Sox fan he watched the vast majority of Kimbrel’s outings.. As did I. It was a season of 9th innings featuring a walk, a hit with two strikeouts mixed in.. It was a visual and emotional nightmare.. with decent results.
Which caused his initial 5yr/$100 asking price to ultimately lead to only a 3yr/$43M guarantee in the open market.
TedYaz, he was never getting that many years based on age and how 2018 unfolded. Sox won in spite of him as they risked injuring their starters to compensate. Overall, I would still rather have him at the price he signed for but he was nerve wracking to watch. To paraphrase Earl Weaver, he was Two Pack 2.0.
3/43 no they wont, stop talking
Dang Sandoval contract again! We could have easily signed him at that rate if it wasn’t For our dumb signing of El Slobo Sandoval. Good job Cubs.
Bitter Winner is a terrible look.
Definitely a large grain of truth in that statement.
With the Sox payroll, it’s not fair to argue over one or two contracts.
I don’t think anybody every regrets a serious world series push.
Not anybody who’s opinion matters, anyway.
yup
Sure, That’s what the Cubs heard about the Lester and Hayward contracts too.
Lester’s actually been good in a Cubs uni tho
Lester has been fantastic for the Cubs.
Hayward has been a bust…but Lester not so much. But, Kimbrel is a huge question mark. K’s per 9 down significantly last year and W’s per 9 up significantly. He had a remarkable WHIP and he isn’t really a fly ball pitcher. So, if he can keep it out of the wind and not walk half the hitters he goes 3-2 on it might pan out OK
Rice, are you referring to darvish or chatwood contracts? Lester’s hasn’t been questioned from what I’ve read or heard ever.
Heyward is only 29 years old and his defense is outstanding. And with his hitting starting to arc in the right direction (he should get 20 + homers this year)… this ship hasn’t sailed yet. Now Darvish… that’s been completely garbage
That’s an idiotic comment grouping Lester in there as a failure. No way they win the Works Series without him, and he’s been exactly what they wanted when signed, an effective inning eater who comes up big when it matters. Just dumb to group him in as a failed signing.
the Lester signing is widely regarded as the best free agent signing in Chicago history, all sports included, so Lester is literally the worst argument you could make towards your point
To this point in his career Kimbrel is the best reliever in baseball history. And you think there will be buyers remorse? You must be really jealous that your team didn’t get him for just 3/45.
The best in history? Forget stats. A closer’s job is to save the game, end it with consistency and ease to benefit the other pitchers’ arms. How many times last year did Cora have to warm up another pitcher when he was on the mound? Compare that to Fingers, Suter, Mariano, etc all. When Kimbrel is lights out; that arm is unhittable. He just has been too wild of late to be considered the best even in today’s one inning closing role.
Koamula, kimbrel is not the best reliever in baseball history. Let’s not go overboard and give him that title just yet.
I think that is a distinct possibility. Dude is a quality pitcher and his WhIP was awesome last season. But, some of those 9th inning antics were heart stopping. Dude K’s and W’s per 9 climbed exponentially last season. Oh, and over his career if he gets worked to a 3-2 count he walks about half the time. A walk and flyball in the wind could be problematic.
Such a dumb comment.
Really? You think having Kimbrel to close games will yield worse results than what they had so far this year?
The rich keep getting richer. Up to $250M now?
No, their payroll will barely go up because they’re using saved from Zobrist.
? Care to explain?
It’s pretty well-documented. It’s a quick google search away instead of having to trust some random guy on the internet.
Yeah zobrist will clearly walk away from millions of $ and never get over his ex…are you seriously that dense?
Because throughout the history of baseball no player has ever put his personal life over money.
Zobrist has plenty of money. He’s the kind of guy who will always put his family (and especially his kids) over money.
Theo and co are the ones who have been in communication with him, so I think I’ll take their side on what’s going on over some random guy on the Internet.
Careful, logic and reason are the kind of things he comes to internet forums to avoid. Keep this up and he’ll accidentally revert to his 12 year old ‘real life’ self…
Expected a lot more from Zobrist than this. He needs to be able to separate his personnel affairs from his profession. You can be a pro ballplayer makings millions going through a divorce; or, you can be an unemployed guy going through a divorce. You can pay your bills and take care of your kids in the second case. A lot of folks get divorced and suck it up and do what you have to do.
Think there’s a couple points here… dude’s loaded, so what you have to do is simply something he doesn’t have to do. Second, I think there’s some real communication between him and the Cubs here, I think the Cubs are genuinely fine with him being out, and he knows at some level he’s helping them. Wouldn’t be at all shocked if the Cubs gave him his time, then he shows back up just after his return would fall under the luxury tax. Or maybe he’s just done and they’re five with it. Love Z and wish him well, but this helps the Cubs at this point, and having both of them come September helps the Cubs even more.
You kidding? Gotta love a player who puts family ahead of work. Fortunately for them, he can. As Bencole infers, most can’t. Same thing happens today when someone is sick and FMLA is triggered. Only difference is the latter is a legal right and the former is negotiated.
Thank Zobrist!
“Braves to sign Keuchel. 3 years 50 million total with an option year 2 mil buy out. Deal pending physical.” Thats what im expecting to hear about tomorrow or friday.
Me too, but “Yankees” instead of “Braves”.
Kuechel would look weird with no beard.
ah, I withhold all of the accolades about this signing until dude gets into Wrigley. He has a 4.50 ERA in that park and last year his K/per 9 was down significantly and his W/per 9 was almost 5….that a lot of tightrope walks in the 9th. Is he a quality pitcher, sure that WHIP was incredible last year…but old Joe better keep the valium handy because the stress level will be up in that bandbox when wind is blowing out.
Seen you make a couple comments like this. 1) Joe needs a Valium now when the wind blows out and any reliever is on the mound, really any team does there though, and 2) Wrigley really is a pitcher’s Park much of the time though, it is when the wind blows in, and it blows in 68% of the time.
Meanwhile, Cano just got hurt again. Lolmets
Are you kidding?!?! Have you seen Cano’s production? Mets fans should bust the guy in the knee with a rusty pipe to keep him on the IL.
my point is that they should’ve just signed Kimbrel instead of taking on a bad contract to get an elite reliever
That guy is going to be the Mets Pujols
Hope he does the job for them.
*Something* *Something* “WiNdOw Is AlReAdY sHuT. ThEo WiTh AnOtHeR aLbaTrOsS.” – Themed, ChiSoxCity, etc etc etc
Yeah, here it comes.
ChiSoxCity? Is that the Cubs minor league affiliate?
Nice. No excuses for the bullpen now. He’s been throwing but I’m guessing he’ll need a couple weeks to get up to game speed.
Yup. That’s about right I think
Let’s not get carried away. Kimbrel is no Aroldis Chapman, but his presence should make the cubs bullpen stronger as a unit. Cishek, Strop and Kimbrel sets the cubs up nicely for a playoff run. A trade for a quality leadoff hitter would actually extend their window though.
You’re right, he’s better than Aroldis. Lower career ERA, ERA+, almost identical strikeout and xFIP numbers.
Are you really going to use career #s to justify the 2nd half of this season. You’re reaching buddy
Career stats… meaning the past. You get that right?
He’s not that good anymore, which is why Boston let him walk.
In the past? Probably. Right now? No.
Bring back Lee Smith. He had great career numbers!
Kimbrel is better than Chapman over their entire careers and also recent career. From 2017-2018, Kimbrel had a better k%, BB%, ERA, FIP, xFIP, IP and fWAR than Chapman and is also younger. I’d love to hear why you believe Chapman to be better.
Kimbrel was awful in the postseason and is showing his age. Front offices have Kimbrel 3/43 and Chapman 5/80, so they clearly favor Chapman
Typical stupid Yankee fan comment.
Chapman wasn’t “lights out” for the Cubs in the post season either.
The player with the largest contract performs better? Is that what you’re implying?
Neither is as good as Josh Hader.
And he cost them Gleyber Torres.
well check last year’s stats…Great WHIP, but the K’s and W’s per 9 up significantly. He walks about half of the hitters he goes 3-2 on and in a windy ballpark where a flyball end up out on the street that’s not a good combo. But, that said he is an elite closer when he’s on his game.
I’m glad someone called him out on this comment. Kimbrel has been every bit as good as Chapman if not better. How quickly people forget 2017 when Kimbrel was absolutely lights out.
He had personal issues last year that didn’t allow him to have a spring training and just never seemed right. Kimbrel had no loss of velocity that I could see he just seemed off last year his daughters illness may of had something to do with it.
We will see but I’m guessing he will be absolutely dominant in the Cubs pen. I’m sure he is going to have a chip on his shoulder too.
He didn’t have a spring training last year and was never right… and you feel he will be better this year after no spring training and missing a third of the season?
He didn’t have a spring training because of the illness of his daughter he seemed distracted for much of last year. His daughter is doing much better now so yes I think with that off his mind he will perform much better.
No. Kimbrel has been better than Chapman.
Cubs fans win once in 100 years and think they are legitimate title contenders. Lol
4 straight playoff appearances, 3 NLCS’s in a row, 1 World Series win, best record in baseball combined over that span… yeah I think we’re legit title contenders.
“We’re”?
Then again so were the Dodgers….and we have watched what happened to them…LOL
Yes, we’re. I’m a Cubs fan. I hope you’re not one of those stupid a** fans that says “you don’t own or play for the Cubs, you shouldn’t say we’re.” Like you wouldn’t say “my plane is late” because you don’t own the plane, “my Uber” because you don’t own the Uber, or “my dentist” because you don’t own the dentist. GTFO of here with that s***, it’s wrong, it’s grammatically moronic, and whoever told you that possessives are restricted to things you own is undereducated and an idiot. Can we knock this stuff off already?? Like as a site? Stop it for good?
Right on brother, I’m tired of people doing that crap. Get over it already
Im a die hard life long Cubs fan!!! I’ll never say “we” when talking about my favorite team!!! I’ve been to Wrigley plenty of times, the only time I ever touched the actual field was on a tour. Even then there were limitations…. wanna know why….. I’M NOT A MEMBER OF THE TEAM OR THE FRANCHISE!!!! WE’RE FANS OF THE CUBS, NOT MEMBERS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION
well, you are entitled to your own opinion, but that is just silly.
If someone said, “This is our song. we did our first dance to this at our wedding”, would you tell at them, because they did not actually own the song? Si.ilarly, if you ran into Paul McCartney in the 90’s, and he mentioned “my music”, would you correct him, because Micheal Jackson actually owned the rights to the music he created?
All the experts unanimously agree based on reasons unrelated to past seasons…
LoL
Yup. Consistently one of the top of our division and we aren’t contenders. You people are hilarious. The guy has a career 1.91 ERA and your saying he wasn’t a good sign and the cubs will have buyers remorse. All of you are upset your own teams didn’t get him. Simple as that. Even if he does suck, complete credit to Theo. He went out and got the best
His career numbers are great, but did you see him in the second half of last year and then the playoffs? There’s always a possibility of recency bias, but the evidence points more likely to a declining career. He’s not garbage — he’ll help a bullpen that very much needs it — but he’s far from 2017 Kimbrel at this point.
I like seeing the Cubs do well, I think it’s fun for baseball; however, Kimbrel is only “the best” in terms of “the best reliever available on the FA market in the middle of the season.
Dude has game…but if he remains true to those K’s and W’s per 9 and offers up a flyball on a windy night…well the results can’t be good. That said, his career indicated he is an elite closer….let’s hope this is the guy the Cubs are buying for 3 years
Dude… all this talk about wind… wind blows in 68% of the time at Wrigley, at which point it becomes one of the best pitchers parks in baseball. Plus, Kimbrel has given up 35 homers in 532 2/3 innings in his career. That’s less than half of the MLB average HR/9 during his career.
Championship glad flies forever at Wrigley. Just like winning the lottery ,Want to win it once in your lifetime . If you do it against it’s just gravy
First.
Loser
6 months late but better late than never.
my fantasy trade of schwarber for kimbrel is about to pay off
Great signing for them. I think it makes them the favorite to win the Central if they weren’t already
They always were the favorite with the cards being the 2nd favorite.
That’s why I said if they weren’t already. It helps solidify it
This is an absolute embarrassment for the braves and completely unacceptable! #1 offseason need was bullpen and NOTHING WAS DONE! FANS BEGGED FOR THIS GUY! Stop sitting on all that cash! You have plenty to spend now and maintain a bright future! Stop lying to the fans and do something!!!!
Still have a chance a Keuchel and make some trades for the bullpen
Keuchel is going to the bullpen?
Keep Kuechel away as well
If you want the money spent I want Greinke
@steelerbravenation im with you buuuuut a part of me also wants to see what keuchel can do in a braves uni. We need a good lefty.
Because fans always know what’s right………
My point was more fans were begging for him strictly because no one was left after passing up on one of the best bullpen FA markets in offseason history. He was a 100% must have today and not getting him is a baseball sin honestly
Maybe Kimbrel doesn’t want to go back to Atlanta?
I’m sure money was the biggest factor in his decision making
Not every Braves fan wanted the team to spend money for the sake of spending money. I’d rather have them spend smartly rather than to foolishly try to coddle some “fans” who would spit fire if they spent & got negative results. Last year they overachieved. This year they’re right in the mix. Stay the course and keep on contending/building for today and for yrs to come.
Again, you’re out of your mind if you think not spending ever will keep us contending! We are sitting on so much cash it’s insane! We have enough to spend now and continue to secure our future! Don’t let them fool you
Care to explain the Donaldson signing then? $23mm for a position already filled plus a hot prospect waiting in the wings makes no sense when the most glaring weaknesses were the departure (then subsequent reunion) of RF and the bullpen. Seems like that $ would’ve been better spent on the bullpen. I’m not smelling what liberty media is stepping in.
When your pen sucks, signing the best reliever in MLB history is spending your money wisely.
can you say Pujols, Crawford or Hamilton….those teams spend insane cash…and those contracts were or are millstones around the franchise’s necks. Keuchel is a quality back of the rotation guy that will give you a lot of innings and is pretty injury free. But, he’s a real gamble for multi year contract
The best reliever ever? Marinano is the best ever. Kimbrel’s not even in the top 10.
Yup Kimbrel isn’t top 10 because he hasn’t retired yet.
If he keeps up his current pace until he’s 38 or 39 he would be the best ever. Don’t think he will but we just don’t know. Currently all of his advanced metrics’s are better then Mariano Rivera’s. Mariano was a better ground ball pitcher and walked people less. So let’s just see how Kimbrel finishes. He has a chance to be the best ever will he achieve we don’t know.
Thanks to the insane postseason numbers, Mariano is easily #1, but Kimbrel is #2 all time. Look at the numbers if you want evidence. I would love to hear you come up with 10 closer better than him
Braves needed pen help. Didnt need to be a gm scout or working for an MLB organization to realize for the braves to push themselves into ws contenders they needed pen help.
Thank you!
See what the cost is before you overreact
If it’s for a year than yes the Braves shoulda been in even up to 3 years but anything longer no thanks
Bullpen could be fixed by July 31st
Would much rather them go for Wil Smith & Alex Colome
I will be utterly shocked if the Braves sign or trade for anyone of any substance before the deadline. Now players on the verge of or already dfa’d, that’s a different story….
Haha you’re right! No decent moves will be made! It’s embarrassing. Unless this deal is some ungodly record setting insane offer, we should have beat everyone’s deal.
The Braves were smart not to give him a multi-year deal if that’s all he would take
I see nothing wrong with a 2-3 year deal
He will get 16m per year the next two years. That is too much for a solid bullpen piece which is all he will be for the Cubs. He is in decline. I’d bet everything I own the Cubs will not be able to depend on him in the post season this year or the next two just like the Sox couldn’t this past year. If it was simply 10-12m for the rest of this year to take a flier I’d say go for it. But the Braves were wise not to blow 32m over the next two years for that guy.
Best reliever in history and somehow you think all he will be is a solid bullpen piece? Not sure what you are smoking, but its lots better than the Maui Wowee we grew up with.
Maybe he isnt the answer for the Cubs bullpen issues. But doing nothing wasnt the answer either for the Cubs.
YESSIR!!!
Signing on for a first round exit, bad choice by Kimbrel unless they met hit demands.
you make one early exit in 4 years, and suddenly people think you’re an automatic early exit
what? how are the Cubs are first round exit? and is the last part even English? met hit demands?
He could say the same about you.
He’s replacing Brandon Morrow ultimately. this is a great pick up. He’s gonna have to give pedro strop some money for his number 46
Dude, they’ve spent more money than any other team the last 4 years times 2. They aren’t an easy out- their competition spends over $100 million less- eventually they can’t keep up.
They had plenty of money to sign him and Harper if they really wanted to. They had no reason to sign Harper. But they easily could have got a Jake ordizzi or Patrick Corbin but they chose not to
Odorizzi has yet to hit the free agent market so that’s incorrect.
My point is they had plenty of money
He was traded to the Twins
Don’t know you schwing, but i’m going to guess that he will make more money between now and that first round exit than you will in your lifetime. I’m guessing, to him, it’s not a bad choice.
Didn’t you say that in 2016 when Chapman went to Cubs ?
He only cares about the money anyway.
Where will Bryce Harper sign?
KBO. The Phillies are gonna void his contract and trade him.
I guess they found the money……
Courtesy of julianna zobrist
Brutal but super funny
Does that put them into luxury tax issues?
Nope, they’re still well below the threshhold.
Cubs estimated 2019 AAV payroll: $222M
– ~5/6 of Zobrist’s AAV, assuming he doesn’t return: ($11M)
+ Kimbrel’s AAV [$43M/~2.6 years]: $16M
= $227M
They’re well north of the $207M lux tax threshold, but not to the point of a draft penalty or the max tax surcharge,
Who cares? Is it your money?? And I think your numbers are a little off.
and here comes the over reaction from Braves’ fans
too late…look up
And the cub fans
Wouldn’t call them fans, armchair GM’s maybe? I’m a Braves fan and I wasn’t rooting for them to overpay for him. Looks like the Cubs got him for a somewhat reasonable price, however Atlanta needs to worry about that rotation more than they do that bullpen. Gausman is not working, Fried and Soroka will be forced to adjust at some point. Don’t need a closer if you can’t get into the 9th with the lead.
Braves are tied for 7th I’m blown saves this season. Having Kimbrel likely nets them at least 5 of those, easily slotting them in first place in their division. That’s not worth it when their mantra since 2013 was “win in 2019?”
The only downside seems to be Zobrist is gonna boohoo the rest of the season and that’s how we got the $$$
Hope Zo is back after AllStar Break but the silence is deafening.
Love getting Kimbrel. Needed him obviously. Strop seemed like a headcase waiting to happen w/ the herky jerky fast pitch stuff.
I guess it 1.5/$30M
Huge signing for the Cubbies!
2019 version of Greg Holland
Hope so!
Dumb.
If you can’t out-develop teams, just keep spending more money than them.
-Cubs since 2016
Newsflash artfly…acquiring is the same as developing in professional sports.
Dumber. Look at their lineup…fool.
Yes. Cubs are like the Yankees of the 1980s
Half the starting line up is homegrown…
What are you talking about? Hendricks, Schwarber, Bryant, Russell, Almora, Contreras, Strop, Edward’s – that core group the entire infield and two-thirds of the outfield are all homegrown DEVELOPED players. You develop a core and patch holes through free agency and trades. It’s like building a championship 101. Kimbrel may or may not be the answer in the pen but you can’t honestly knock the system that cracked a 108 year championship drought while making 3 straight LCS’s and the postseason 4 years straight. No team from 2015 on has won more ballgames than the Cubs over the last 4 and a third season’s. Come on man, check your envy at the door before you post ridiculous comments like that.
They traded for Hendricks (for Dempster), Edwards (for Garza) and Strop (came along with Arrieta for Feldman and Clevinger). The rest you mentioned are all homegrown. And you forgot Baez in that group.
Yeah I’d include guys that you didn’t draft but did most of their development as homegrown. At very least subjective. Plus Rizzo trade for Cashner.
Russel came from Oakland and Edwards came from Texas also
This guy should have never been signed by any team. Cubs got suckered!
Dumber. And bitter. I love it.
He’s just a dumb troll
If he’s what he was last year, this is a huge get for the Cubbies. If Milwakee was smart, they’d try for Keuchel. But I got a feeling Keuchel ends up on the Yanks.
They simply cannot spend the money. The cubs’ pitching staff is more expensive than the Brewers’ entire roster. This isn’t apples vs apples.
Exactly. 100M more in payroll and still can’t pull away in the division
Stop showing your ignorance. Assets are assets. You probably complain that your neighbor has a nicer house than you too.
Can’t pull away in the division, but the Jimmy Nelson call up today has given the Cubs a nice start on pulling away. And you absolutely know better than anyone on here——you don’t need to pull away—-you only need to win by one game.
Hey man Jimmy Nelson pitched a great game. losing a serious to the Marlins is enough proof the brewers will not hold on to better than 3rd. Being outscored by the Marlins 24-3 in 2 games is bad. I hope the Marlins sweep.
Well, Cubs fan here, I wouldn’t judge it on a two game sample size… I like our chances though
He was gonna sign with the Yanks but he refused to shave his legs,.
Cubs going to the WS now, calling it.
At the start of the off-season I couldn’t have imagined the Cubs would be the team that ended up getting Kimbrel. But here we are. Glad they took the initiative to fix an obvious problem and keep their draft pick
Big mistake. Theo always misses on big dollar signings!
So without knowing the details it would’ve been a good deal as long as it wasn’t Theo?
3 years 43 million
Didn’t miss on Lester.
That was over 4 years ago when they weren’t sure how good they could be. Since then it’s been ice cold on the free agent front.
Chatwood Darvish Heyward.
It only takes one exception to prove the case isn’t “always” as was stated.
And Chatwood is paying off just fine this year.
As is Heyward. Over market yes, but so are all free agents.
Heyward is on pace for 1.5 WAR this year. He’s not even close to working out just fine. You don’t have to be a gigantic homer on every post.
The money is already spent. Sunk cost. Anything above replacement level works out fine. As you pointed out, he’s on pace for that. Economics 101.
Anything above replacement is not, “fine” for the starting OF of a playoff team and your comment that receiving less value than you are paying for is economics 101 makes no sense. You sound stupid.
Fantastic! Dude is well rested, proven stud. Strop recently back, Morrow coming back will be a bonus, not a necessity. GREAT move Theo!
he’s a clown. will fit in nicely with this bunch.
Bitterness is something Cubs fans have waited for for a long time. Please keep it coming, It shows how much you care.
Exactly twentyforty——-nobody hates the losers!!!
The a Cubs could acquire Ruth, DiMaggio and Mays in their primes and these buffoons would find fault. That’s the beauty of it. They hate that the punching bag for decades is now a bully…and they can’t find new material.
Since 2016 I’ve often thought it was ironic how sweet, bitterness is
arrogant organization run by awful people
Your hate just makes Javy Baez stronger
Ha… love the team, and the people who run it
Baez, yes, the force is strong in that one
Actually, they seem to be struggling with the loss of their identity as “lovable losers.”
Nobody cares that your entire identity as a fan was built entirely on not being a Cubs fan
The fact that reality doesn’t give a **** about your wants is a you problem, we don’t care that you can’t move on
This contract will be a mega loser. Not a Cub basher but did they look at last year?
literally had a 2.74 ERA last year, what is wrong with your brain to think thats bad? stop being wrong.
@Strike Four I’d suggest you check his post season stats. Kimbrel is an excellent reliever but his post season record is of concern.
Postseason aside, 14K/9, highest overall swinging strike rate, 4th lowest contact rate out of the zone and 8th in… I’d say they did take a look at 2018.
People saying the Braves should have signed him don’t know what they’re talking about. He’s not worth a multi-year deal and his skills are eroding. Luke Jackson will get the job done just fine.
or ya know the Braves could trade for relief help and not be saddled with an albatross contract.
Or that, yeah. Anything other than giving Kimbrel $45 million for three years. That’s laughable.
Thought the cubs had not money, all this drama for what????
They have Julianne Zobrist to thank for that
So funny
ok, style points
Went from 6 years/$100MM to what I’m presuming is 3 years/$50MM. Curious if Kimbrel has any regrets from trying to topple Chapman’s numbers.
It may have been close to what MLBTR predicted, but it ends up being less than half of what Kimbral and his agent were asking for. There is no way to paint this as a win for the player. Or the agent.
Agreed. I’m shocked Kimbrel didn’t sign on for a year and then tried the market again.
As I mentioned in previous/earlier comments about Kimbrel. He can turn out to be a great signing or a terrible signing regarding any team that signed him. (You can safely say that about any free agent signing in any sport). But in this case I feel the Cubs had to do something to solidify the pen. No way this Cubs team could have gone into August/September with the current pen and expect to contend for a playoff spot. If anyone believed they could, they are dillusional. I give ownership and the front office credit for going for it and making something happen. Don’t rest now. Go out and find even more relief help.
Guessing that even though Theo says otherwise, the Cubs have been talking with Zobrist and Ben is likely retiring soon. Zobrist money now goes to help pay for Kimbrel.
Not every Braves fan wanted the team to spend money for the sake of spending money. I’d rather have them spend smartly rather than to foolishly try to coddle some “fans” who would spit fire if they spent & got negative results. Last year they overachieved. This year they’re right in the mix. Stay the course and keep on contending/building for today and for yrs to come.
Kimbrel’s ego and actual worth don’t equate.
This do agree to yes I mean it to it do. I do.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
anything is better than taking 4 xanax every time Cishek steps up on the hill
45 big ones!
Theo is out of his mind!
It’s a great deal.
Cubs clearly need a closer, and Kimbrel is best available. CHC may have been able to trade for someone else next month, but we all know they’d have had to overpay in prospects they may not have any way. Realistically it was either Kimbrel or continue praying that Morrow makes a miraculous recovery and Strop has the 2nd half of his life. I think Epstein made the right decision here.
3 years 45 mil. Awesome.
I like the way all of the “trolling fans” of other teams who haven’t done squat, are now experts.
Someone please explain to me why cubs fans are happy with this signing? Did they not see this guy last year in the postseason how he got lit up like a Christmas tree? If the Cubs end up facing the Dodgers and the game is close late the Cubs would be smart keeping this guy in the bullpen.
And Josh Hader has lost three games on home runs in the ninth or tenth inning this year (and got bailed out on another last week). Do you think the Brewers will stop going to him.
And to your example—-a notoriously poor playoff pitcher, Chris Sale, did close the clinching game last season.
Josh Hader is overrated.
No he’s not
Once again, Cubs fan, and no he’s not
Nice small sample size argument. Good try. Move on to plan B.
imagine using a 10 inning sample scale and acting like that’s going to define the rest of the hundreds of innings more he’s going to pitch in his career? shame on you. grow up.
Cubs need bullpen help. Cubs get bullpen help
Cubs farm system is weak, Cubs don’t have to trade what little future talent they have to address an immediate need
What isn’t to like about this? It’s not like it’s our money being spent..
it’s not rocket Science skippy, playoffs, Stropp in the 7th, Morrow in the 8th, Kimbrel in the 9th. Our starters seem to be always good for 6. We needed bullpen help, he’s the best guy out there available to provide that help
The Braves have enough overrated talent to deal with (Acuna and Albies). They don’t need another one!
How how acuna and albies allies overrated?
Just look at their stats this year (particularly Acuna). He screamed Heyward since day 1.
Yah, and Kyle Schwarber is a Hall of Famer. We get it.
Acuna’s on pace for a 6+ bWAR season. His OBP is identical to last year, and both his K rate and BB rate have improved. His home run rate is down a percentage point, but he’s still projecting to hit more than 30. Acuna hasn’t hit as many doubles this year as last, but I can’t see what else you’d point to.
There’s literally no way to rationalize a comment about Acuna being overrated. Don’t bother trying.
Yea? You were probably the person who valued Heyward just because some arbitary number said he was elite (WAR).
The Pirates commentator was right. He is all show. Get rid of your stupid necklaces and learn to hit.
JHey is Ace defensively, and he’s hitting the ball this year, plus he is a locker room guy, it’s not just about big numbers
Does this signing put them over the cap?
Nope, they’re still well under. I read they were about $26M under the luxury tax threshhold before the signing.
Does this say anything about Morrow and/or Zobrist? I’m going to take a guess and say it says something about both. I wouldn’t be shocked if Morrow does not pitch this year. At the least you can’t trust him to stay healthy. I’d also guess this money comes from Zobrist and we’ve seen the last of him also.
Morrow has done exactly nothing since the Cubs signed him, and there is no tangible evidence that’s gonna change any time soon if ever. Epstein would not have made this deal if he wasn’t confident Chicago has seen the last of Zobrist. Kudos to him for stepping up because Plan B involved way too much in terms of hoping and praying.
He was excellent in limited time with them last year, and I emphasize “limited”.
It’s tough to argue with Theo’s track record, but I’m not crazy about this deal. But give him credit, they never sit back.
Just hoping Braves go hard after DK now, watching gausmann labor start after start is nauseating, esp tonite..
Did I miss the “bet he wishes he had taken the QO” comments?
Well done Matt Klentak. Way to let an elite closer go to GD Cubs. Now Phillies are down a 6th bullpen arm.
Is Jamie Moyer still available/alive?
He and Gabe have a plan. They’ve got lots of plans.
Moyer was at the Phillies/Padres game last night.
No he’s not alive and yes he can still pitch
A vesting option? How cheap of them.
That’s a very reasonable contract
BIG MISTAKE THEO!
Sorry for the emphasis but in
this one case it’s warranted…..
Dude’s making less than Wade Davis. Small beans
Lol, it’s like theo is 5 years old. How is this the same man that broke the curse? Absolutely terrible contract, no question.
Did you see the cost??? 3/$43? That’s less than Wade Davis
Angel clown be like “Kimbrel what have made a great opener for us”. The dizzy Halo clowns… gotta love them. They keep the ones that get the game laughing.
Just like the Cubs to bring in an aging veteran expecting more than he has left. When Theo leaves Chicago he’ll be leaving the same situation he left in Boston. Broke the curse then broke the team!
If the Cubs are broken, may they never be fixed…
Aging? He’s three months younger than Chapman and almost two years younger than Wade Davis. Both of whom inked massive contracts.
45 for Kimbrel, good news, 45 in the White House, bad news.
Your IQ of 45, even worse.
That’s good
Ah politics, just what we needed to talk about on a sports blog
Yeah really. I sort of agree with him and still think it doesn’t belong here
Certainly, in a close game, Kimbrel could and probably will shine. But from a.division rival’s perspective,I.would challenge the wisdom, and I am not addressing, future.years. I am not a believer that the current starting staff will lead them to the post season.
Really? What team in the NL Central has a starting rotation that bests or even matches the one in Chicago?
The Cubs are counting on their starting staff to be healthy. Outside of a brief 10 day IL stinks by Lester they have been so to date. Last year they were fortunate in that regard. The odds they can repeat that is doubtful. Then what? They have no viable options. Plus Darvish has been brutal. Plus they are old. This is a recipe for disaster. If even one of the remaining 4 goes down for an extended time they have issues. And if the number goes to two, they are toast.
Wrong on Darvish. Wrong on health being luck with proven horses such a# these. Try again….
Replace Cubs in your statement with any other team and it’s true. The starting rotation gets hurt and you’re in trouble. So that’s not really a Cubs problem.
The last few seasons the Cubs as an organization have been one of the best at keeping pitchers healthy, so it’s not even a major concern compared to a lot of teams.
The Dodgers have the best starting rotation in baseball so far.
My hope is that Darvish continues to pitch the rest of 2019 as he has so far. There goes a loss every 5th day. Time will tell on the starter’s health. Odds are against them.
No, some teams have viable internal options, the Cubs are particularly vulnerable.
Some teams have highly touted rookies or extra back-enders.
Everybody went into the season touting the Cardinals depth, but even with extra back-enders, they’re in trouble because the main guys haven’t produced.
The Cubs are no more vulnerable in this area than anyone else. Especially since, besides Darvish, their main guys have been quite durable historically
History has a way of changing. Everybody is healthy until they aren’t.
now that is a really sad counter argument. Basically you have no factual basis for your assertions, just that in theory you could be right if the unlikely happens….
It’s hard to comprehend Dombrowski paid $68M to Eovaldi and could have had Kimbrel for $45M.
With a sh.ty bullpen without him to boot?
????????????????????????????????????????????????
That has got to be one of the strangest GM moves in quite some time.
Nathan Eovaldi (2019 Stats)
#17, SP, Boston Loose bodies in right elbow
W 0 L 0 ERA 6.00 K 16 BB 11
You ain’t seen nothin yet…wait til July and see who gets traded from the Red Sox . . . my guess on players to be traded at or before deadline. . .
Porcello – (Twins or Cubs)
Moreland or Pearce – (Rockies or Cubs)
Nunez or Holt – (Dodgers or Phillies)
Bradley – (Braves or Phillies)
This would clear off roughly $18M for the remainder of the season.
Considering what Kimbrel was asking for at the time, I’m not sure that’s quite a fair assessment.
Eovaldi made $2M in 2018.
How does that translate to $68M instead of giving that money to Kimbrel?
???????????????????????????????????????
Can anyone answer that?
How does Dombrowski get to pay that to Eovaldi and not Kimbrel?
Who made that assessment?
Was this about making Boras look bad to his clients?
Look what Boras did for Moose last year!
Boras isn’t Kimbrel’s agent. He’s represented by Dave Meter of SportsMeter.
But to answer your question, Kimbrel didn’t want 4 years at 68 million. He wanted a lot more initially.
Thanks for the correction on Boras and yes, I knew Kimbrel wanted more initially, but my question is why Eovaldi got the money rather than Kimbrel and the Red Sox stopped pursuing Kimbrel and didn’t work this out?
The $68M could have been applied to Kimbrel and they likely could have worked out a deal based upon what we’re seeing now.
So essentially both Kimbrel and the Red Sox lost on this one.
Who made the decision to give Eovaldi $68M when he got $2M the year before? Who made that assessment to sign Eovaldi for $68M?
Who made the assessment to give up on signing Kimbrel?
Presumably Dombrowski.
I’d just like to understand the logic, the reasoning. That’s all?
$68M’s a lot of money to toss around like that.
Especially when you’re already in Luxury Tax trouble!
You’d at lest expect to see the money spent wisely.
Guess someone expected Eovaldi to be the next Cy Young right?
what each made the season before is frankly irrelevant. At the time Kimbrel was reportedly asking to be the highest paid closer ever. So the Red Sox chose to pay about half that to someone else who had been a highly effective reliever.
saying Kimbrel could of been had for 45 million after 6 months worth of changing circumstances since the decision was made makes DD an idiot is not a fair assessment of the facts.
Again, that is NOT my question.
My question is who assessed Eovaldi being worth MORE than Kimbrel and who gave the money to Eovaldi instead of Kimbrel as the Red Sox had limited funds?
Especially since Eovaldi only was paid $2M the year before had a shorter less glamorous track record and had arm issues in the past?
Who pays out that kind of big money for someone other than a “proven major star”?
Kimbrel is a proven major star and Boston acknowledged he is a likely Hall of Fame candidate.
Does anyone understand this logic?
.
No, because the whole line of reasoning is illogical because it’s based on a flawed premise.
You’re asking how did the red Sox make a decision based on events 6 months into the future. At the time the decision was made the choice was Eovaldi, coming off a highly productive year, at 68, or Kimbrel, coming off an up and down year, who was asking for nearly 100.
The only way your question makes any sense is if you assume the Red Sox knew 6 months later Kimbrel would go for 45 instead of what he was actively asking for at the time.
I don’t think the Red Sox have a Kwisatz Haderach on the payroll
Yes! Having Craig Kimbrel pitch in save situations gives Joe Maddon one less thing to screw up with this team. Kimbrel may even “save” the geniuses job when all is said and done.
Not sure if you’re a Cubs fan, but I think Maddon is the absolute best in the game
Joe Madden will be Sainted in Chicago forever
Rick Renteria couldn’t do it
Dale Sveum couldn’t do it
Mike Quade couldn’t do it
Lou Piniella couldn’t do it
Dusty Baker couldn’t do it
Don Baylor couldn’t do it
Jim Riggleman couldn’t do it
Tom Trebelhorn couldn’t do it
Jim Lefebvre couldn’t do it
Don Zimmer couldn’t do it
Gene Michael couldn’t do it
Jim Frey couldn’t do it
Lee Elia couldn’t do it
Preston Gomez couldn’t do it
Joe Amalfitano couldn’t do it
Herman Franks couldn’t do it
Jim Marshall couldn’t do it
Whitey Lockman couldn’t do it
Leo Durocher couldn’t do it
that’s in my life time the list goes on….
Joe did it
Well it has more do with gematria- sports are all scripted by that code.
F’n joke. You tellijn’ me that half of a league with major bullpen problems couldn’t pay this deal or more. Nationals, they paying a ton for pitchers , probably best in the league 1-3 starters, but they dont paying for closer, so instead we gonna trade Rendon in a month or so.
Now the fun times begin when I get to read the mouth breathing Braves fans whine on Facebook. Why didn’t the Braves sign Kimbrel? But no…they expect Kimbrel from when he was originally a Brave. If they signed him now they’d whine and complain about him.
Casual fans are…ugh
What’s there to whine about? What’s done is done. Moving on.
Ironically, this post is nothing but whining and complaining.
He’ll be up June 19th. That’s when they start their home stand coming from LA
Sounds like he’s in pretty good shape right now, just needs to get up to game speed. The sooner the better.
i think tbis will be good in the end. Kimbrel may not get going until later this year, or really be himself until next, year, but this deal should end up being a bargain. nice to see the Cubs really must have had some financial constrains in the end.
Congrats to ‘Dirty Craig’ and the Cubbies. His overall career stats makes him deserving of another chance with a new club. Craig surely made the 9th inning a nail biting adventure here in Boston, but we would have had no problem welcoming him back.
Have no idea where this comment is coming from?
Kimbrel was lights out and not dirty??????
No he wasn’t dependable last year going down the stretch and the playoffs. Thus Sale closing out the final game.
Hey chitown. Get your blood pressure medicine ready
Have you seen the state of their existing closer situation? I don’t think they need to get anything ready.
His contracts demands “falling into the three-year range” didn’t happen until the beginning of May, not the offseason.
I’m shocked Kimbrel didn’t sign on for a year and then tried the market again.
Sincerely hope this works out well for the Cubs. I admire their owners and front office for their dedication for not only continually refurbishing their team with strong players, but building toward being World Series Contenders on a yearly basis. Something John Mozeliak of the Cardinals and their owners have no clue of how that process works.
So why aren’t you rooting for them?
I had no idea Periscope was still a thing.
As a Red Sox fan… Thanks for the Memories Craig. Good luck in Chicago…
what is this “periscope?”
The beard should get an extra contract.
Unbelievable! This whole thread is full of bitter fans from other teams. Their GM’s have their thumbs up their $&@ while Theo continually makes bold moves to strengthen the team, yet they bash him & deride the team.
Kimbrel just turned 31 a month ago but you would think he’s some old washed-up bum if you read these comments.
I guarantee that if these same “fans” were asked one week ago if they could have him for 3 yrs. and $43m, all would be 100% in favor.
Makes me wonder if you watched him pitch last year. Tell me this, who closed out the final game of the World Series for the Sox? The guy who was sick and battling infections, not Kimbrel.
That’s a sign.
That doesn’t tell the whole story… Kimbrel pitches in the first 4 games – 4.1 innings, 3 hits, 2 bb, 2 er… while not his best showing, the 2 earned runs were when the Sox were leading 9-4. While it’s true, he wasn’t his 2017 self, I’ll take a solid closer who induced the highest overall swinging strike rate during the regular season in 2018. Remember, the postseason doesn’t matter if you don’t make it past September.