Craig Kimbrel's Contract Details With Cubs Revealed
By Scott Rogust
The Craig Kimbrel sweepstakes are officially over, as the Chicago Cubs got the proverbial winning ticket. After a couple months on the shelf, Kimbrel finally found a deal that satisfied him, and will see him back on the field promptly.
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Kimbrel has signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Cubs.
Craig Kimbrel's deal with the Cubs will be 3-years, and close to $45 million (per @Ken_Rosenthal) pic.twitter.com/oNYoNqJqbx
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) June 6, 2019
It's a far cry from the five-year, $100 million deal that Kimbrel was initially seeking at the start of free agency, but the annual pay makes up for it.
The right-hander will receive a $15 million annual salary, which puts him seventh among all relief pitchers. Wei-Yin Chen of the Miami Marlins leads the way with $20 million (yes, really), followed by Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen with $19.3 million.
.@Cubs reportedly reach agreement on multi-year deal with RHP Craig Kimbrel, pending physical, per @Ken_Rosenthal. https://t.co/4lEdZwXikI #MLBonTheMove pic.twitter.com/ImR8F63Hg5
— MLB (@MLB) June 6, 2019
For teams to succeed in the 2019 MLB season, they need a downright dominant bullpen. Just ask the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, who rank as some of the best in the league.
The Chicago Cubs wanted to hop on that bandwagon, and given their resurgence to the top of the NL Central, they were more than willing to pay the price for Kimbrel, who has strung together 333 saves across his nine-year career.