CHICAGO — What does the signing of Craig Kimbrel mean for the Chicago Cubs?
As long as he’s the Kimbrel who dominated the competition on the way to 333 career saves, with the second-highest strikeout rate (minimum 400 innings pitched) of all time, it means everything.
Whether it was Kimbrel or another closer, the Cubs were in desperate need of late-inning relief help. In this case, it wasn’t just about the ninth inning — though their three losses when leading after eight innings this season is tied for the most in baseball. They were struggling just to get to the ninth with a lead. Their 52 percent save percentage, entering Wednesday, is second-worst in baseball.
Many of those blown games came in innings 7-9, where the Cubs have already lost six games this season. So this move gives them the depth they desire and need. Now everyone in the bullpen can simply move down a notch on the depth chart.
Setup man Pedro Strop can return to a more familiar eighth-inning role, while righties Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek — both extremely valuable so far — can bridge the gap from the middle to late innings.
The Cubs are still missing a lockdown lefty — that’s what the June/July trading season will be for — but now the bullpen looks like it should have back in February: equipped with a true closer and several arms to get him the ball. And no one should be overused.
Of course, none of this matters unless Kimbrel is the old Kimbrel, pre-2018 playoffs. Because last October, the right-hander posted a 5.91 ERA for the eventual world champion Boston Red Sox. And the pessimists among Cubs fan will point to the team’s recent history of free-agent pitchers and perhaps keep their enthusiasm in check until they see the 31-year-old in action.
Speaking of which, when will Kimbrel be major league-ready? Cubs manager Joe Maddon addressed the hypothetical over the weekend.
“Probably a minimum of three weeks,” Maddon said before knowing anything about how ready Kimbrel actually is. “There’ll be a process of getting him up to speed.”
Maddon mentioned a spring training-like routine that would consist of six or seven minor league appearances over the course of several weeks. It could take longer or shorter — some definitely believe shorter — but the Cubs should have their new closer in action before the calendar turns to July.
Craig Kimbrel could be with the Chicago Cubs sooner than later. In recent workouts showcasing his stuff for teams, Kimbrel has been electric. His physical is Thursday, sources tell ESPN, and him joining the Cubs before June 20 is a realistic goal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 6, 2019
Some might lament the Cubs’ inaction in the offseason, as they knew oft-injured Brandon Morrow would be out at least until May. And though Kimbrel is nearly here now, the team can’t recover those late-inning losses from the first couple months. After losing the division in a tiebreaker game last season, the Cubs needed to make this move sooner rather than later.
Since most of the bigger midseason trades occur in July, in that sense the Cubs got the jump on the competition. And of course, they didn’t have to give up any assets beyond the money spent to sign Kimbrel. So as far as any trades, anybody they might deal can instead be used to in swaps for other needs moving forward.
The whole deal hinges on Kimbrel. If he’s overly rusty — or just over the hill — the Cubs have a new headache on their hands. And one for a few more seasons, since his deal runs through at least 2021.
But for now, the Cubs can cross off adding a closer on their checklist, for now and the near future. And not a moment too soon.