Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs have worked their way into the upper echelon of contenders in the National League. That was even before the big news that broke yesterday afternoon. Theo Epstein and the Cubs went out and agreed to a three-year deal with superstar closer Craig Kimbrel.
It was a move that was needed after the Cubs' struggles closing out games. Kimbrel is one of the best in the game and it shows once again that Chicago wants to win another World Series as soon as possible.
While the signing was huge, there is no telling when he may join the Cubs. Kimbrel has been sitting in free agency since the beginning of the offseason and getting him up to speed will take some time.
In a quote shared by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Maddon revealed when Kimbrel could join the Cubs.
Move still not official, but…
Maddon said he needs to talk to Kimbrel about recent workout/mound program. The manager speculated that it could be in three-week range before CK is deemed ready to join Cubs bullpen. Has to build up, hit check points similar to Spring Training.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 6, 2019
Last season with the Boston Red Sox, Kimbrel put together another massive season. He ended up recording 42 saves and only blew five saves all year long. Kimbrel finished the season with a 2.74 ERA.
Not only is Kimbrel a star right now, he is also a great closer in the history of the game. He has recorded 333 career saves and has only blown 34 saves. That ratio is impressive, to say the least.
Chicago certainly needs to get Kimbrel is as quickly as possible. A three-week time period to get Kimbrel caught up and throwing at full strength isn't too bad. In the meantime, the Cubs will need Pedro Strop and Steve Cishek to play well and close down games in the last two innings.
Expect to see Kimbrel attack this process and join the Cubs in the near future to take over as the long-term star closer that the the team has needed to find.
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