The reigning National League champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, just made things official with a former closer and All-Star reliever.
After losing David Robertson, they are replacing him with a fellow right-hander in Craig Kimbrel.
“The #Phillies make veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel’s one-year, $10 million contract official after he passes his physical. They designate pitcher Francisco Morales for assignment,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted.
The #Phillies make veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel's one-year, $10 million contract official after he passes his physical. They designate pitcher Francisco Morales for assignment.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 4, 2023
Kimbrel had a somewhat erratic 2022 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His ERA wasn’t a disaster by any means, but considering the sky-high expectations, he was a slight disappointment.
In 63 games he compiled 22 saves, but wasn’t always reliable when doing it.
He finished with a 3.75 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 60 innings.
His WHIP was an uncharacteristically high 1.32.
The Phillies bullpen was surprisingly strong in 2022 after struggling for a few seasons.
They had relief aces Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado, plus other useful arms like Robertson, Brad Hand, Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon and Nick Nelson.
Hand and Robertson no longer in the picture, but the Phils brought in Matt Strahm and now Kimbrel to make sure the unit remains a top one.
Kimbrel was a sub-3.00s ERA guy as recently as 2021, but did have two lousy seasons before that.
He is way too inconsistent to be relied on as a closer, but should be able to be a nice bullpen piece for a team with World Series aspirations.
The Phillies will likely fight with the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves all year long to get the NL East division.
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