It doesn’t appear as if Craig Kimbrel will be signing with a major league team any time soon.
According to Jim Bowden of the Athletic, Kimbrel’s desired contract hasn’t changed over the course of the winter.
According to multiple GMs Craig Kimbrel asking price has still not come down and sources close to Kimbrel think he will consider sitting out the year if he doesn’t get close to his perceived value.
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) February 23, 2019
Let it be known that, if true, Kimbrel is making a huge mistake here. Wanting a mega-deal isn’t the end of the world. But there comes a time where you need to wake up and start being realistic.
From a statistical standpoint, last season was a considerably down year for Kimbrel. His command became even more erratic than usual, and he seemed to transition back into that heart attack closer that was on full display in his injury-plagued 2016 campaign.
Red Sox chairman Tom Werner came out and said that it’s highly unlikely that Boston and Kimbrel come to an agreement on a contract –– thus transitioning the priority towards getting Matt Barnes or Ryan Brasier ready for the ninth inning.
What makes the Kimbrel predicament so bad on his end is that he has dangled out the idea of potentially holding out for the 2019 season if nobody offers him the contract he wants. Putting that idea in the heads of GMs around the league is simply bad for negotiating purposes. GMs are going to think Kimbrel is only looking for one deal and has no desire to find a compromise.
Kimbrel had 42 saves in 2018, but his ERA dipped to 2.74 following a pedestrian second half of the season.
