Rays Reportedly Nearly Landed Craig Kimbrel
By Sean Facey
Craig Kimbrel is a Chicago Cub, but he almost made a return to the AL East.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Tampa Bay Rays finished as runners-up in the sweepstakes to land the seven-time All-Star closer.
Guess which team finished second for Kimbrel? Details of the #Rays’ strong pursuit: https://t.co/SvYXPUEwIT $
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 6, 2019
They reportedly made two offers to Kimbrel, one for two years and $31 million, the other for three years and $39 million. Ultimately, though, both were beaten out by the three-year, $43 million deal to send him to the Windy City.
Tampa Bay's bullpen would have been a nightmare to deal with had they signed Kimbrel. They rank second in all of baseball with 2.8 fWAR and own a stingy 3.40 collective ERA.
Tossing a star closer who owns a 1.91 career ERA into the mix could have spelled doom for their AL East competitors.
#Rays finished runner-up to #Cubs in signing Craig Kimbrel, offering three years, $39M, according to sources. The loss of Kimbrel to Chicago does not figure to end Tampa Bay's attempts to upgrade its bullpen and address other needs.
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) June 6, 2019
More from @Ken_Rosenthal/@TheAthleticMLB ?? https://t.co/4pXOi3XsnQ
It's out of character for the Rays to have been so close to landing a big-ticket free agent, and if anything, this proves that they're willing to do what it takes to field a World Series caliber team.
Their competitive offers for Kimbrel should serve as a warning to teams around the league that Tampa is ready to add to its already solid roster.