Not to be outdone by their busy NL East counterparts, the Phillies made a move to bolster the back end of their bullpen, agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal with active saves leader Craig Kimbrel, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The club has not confirmed the deal.
Kimbrel, who will turn 35 in May, ranks seventh on the all-time saves list with 394. He’ll enter 2023 with his sights set on joining the exclusive 400-save club that features only Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478), Francisco Rodríguez (437), John Franco (424) and Billy Wagner (422).
Kimbrel, however, will need to reassert himself as a shutdown closer after some recent struggles.
After being acquired by the White Sox at the 2021 Trade Deadline, Kimbrel put up a 5.09 ERA in 24 appearances down the stretch. Then, after signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers last offseason, he posted a 3.75 ERA in 63 appearances — but he was ultimately removed from the closer role by manager Dave Roberts in September.
Though Kimbrel finished with a respectable 72 strikeouts over 60 innings last season, his 10.8 K’s per nine innings was by far the lowest rate of his career. He hasn’t had fewer than 13.0 K’s per nine in any other season.
That mark was also well shy of Kimbrel’s career mark of 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks second all time among pitchers with at least 500 innings (Aroldis Chapman, 14.7).
Kimbrel, who had a 1.91 ERA from 2010-18, has a 3.70 ERA in the four seasons since. Overall, the eight-time All-Star will enter 2023 with a 2.31 ERA in 13 seasons between the Braves, Cubs, Red Sox, Padres, White Sox and Dodgers.
