Hey, Milwaukee Brewers! Ever Heard of Craig Kimbrel?
Sometimes things don’t quite go the way we planned in life and we have to adapt. Then sometimes things go wrong in every possible way and we are pressed into drastic action. That’s the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen situation.
The Brewers offense will always be a strength in that ballpark, but the real reason Milwaukee got all the way to game seven in the NLCS last year was their bullpen. Josh Hader might be the best in the game. Jeremy Jeffress was a revelation as the team’s de facto closer. Former closer Corey Knebel had figured out his mechanics issue and was back to his dominant 2017 form.
This was a formidable group of arms the team could use to hold any lead after the fifth inning. And then there were the young guns like Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes throwing gas and picking up when the starters came up short.
It looked like this bullpen would again be a strength in 2019. However, just like so many of the best-laid plans, it’s all going south. Now it’s official that Knebel’s elbow needs Tommy John Surgery and he’ll miss the rest of the year and presumably some of next year as well.
Jeffress was also injured before the season even started. Woodruff and Burnes are now in the starting rotation. So, now Hader is the closer and while he is awesome, that’s pretty much it back there.
Or is it? There just happens to be a Hall of Fame caliber closer waiting for a job in free agency. His name is Craig Kimbrel. You may have heard of him. He has 333 careers saves and he helped his team win the World Series last year. A week or so ago there were rumors the Brewers might be signing Kimbrel and that was before Knebel’s Tommy John announcement.
Sure, Kimbrel was a little shaky in the playoffs. But he didn’t blow a save. He carried that Red Sox bullpen on his back all season and paired with a pitcher like Hader, the Brewers could once again have a dominant bullpen presence. Maybe he’s going to cost too much money on just a single year deal. So what? Isn’t making the playoffs worth it?
OK, maybe it’s not worth it. Fine. The team can sign him to a multi-year deal with some deferrals and then trade him in the off-season. Or trade him at the deadline if all of the wheels fall off the cart. You need him. He needs you.
In the Brewers Opening Day game against the Cardinals, they brought in Junior Guerra to relieve another solid Jhoulis Chacin start and Guerra gave up a run. Then Hader came in for two innings. Yes, Hader can do two innings, but not every time he needs to close a game. He almost gave up a game-tying home run, but Lorenzo Cain robbed a home run for the final out.
They got the win. But the cracks are already showing. Go get yourself Craig Kimbrel to fortify your team in the toughest division in baseball. Then get your butt to the NLCS again. And beyond!
