A Rusty Craig Kimbrel is the Last Thing the Red Sox Need Right Now

As the Red Sox bullpen crashed and burned yet again on Tuesday night, calls for the team to sign free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel reached their peak.

News flash, Sox fans: a rusty Craig Kimbrel is the last thing the bullpen needs right now.

Kimbrel was abysmal in the second half of 2018, and his struggles continued in the postseason. He finished with a 5.01 ERA in 31 outings during that span, including a hideous 5.91 mark in 10 2/3 innings of work in October alone.

That's not even mentioning the fact that he hasn't pitched to a major league batter in over seven months.

Kimbrel struggled mightily with his command in 2018 thanks to a shortened spring training. He walked 4.48 batters per nine innings last year, a number that ballooned to 6.75 per nine innings in the playoffs.

He wasn't good when the Sox needed him most last year, and there's no reason to believe he'd be any better than what they have now after sitting idle for all this time.

On top of it all, the money simply isn't there. Kimbrel continues to hold out for a massive payday that the Red Sox, who have spent themselves into submission in recent years, can't give.

Calling for Kimbrel is a massive cop-out. It's an ask for a reliever who, outside of a stellar 2017 campaign, was above-average at best during his Red Sox tenure. He's not the answer.