The Philadelphia Phillies have made finding a closer a priority this offseason, and Jon Heyman of MLB Network is reporting that the club is aiming high, with Josh Hader, Kenley Jansen, and Craig Kimbrel at the top of their wish list. Of those three, only Jansen is a free agent, but the White Sox are known to be open to moving Kimbrel, and there is a connection to Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski dating back to their days in Boston. Should the Phillies upgrade their outfield and rotation ...

The Chicago White Sox exercised their $16 million team option on relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel for next year, but he could be on the move with All-Star closer Liam Hendriks still in the fold as the team's ninth-inning guy. With this year's free-agent class of relievers lacking elite closing options, Kimbrel could be at a premium and won't require a long-term commitment. The hard-throwing right-hander was pretty bad in the shortened 2020 season and he had a 5.09 ERA and only one save for the ...

As expected, the Chicago White Sox exercised their $16 million team option on relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the situation. Kimbrel had a huge bounce-back season in 2021 after he had a 5.28 ERA while walking 7.0 hitters per nine innings in 18 appearances over 15 1/3 innings for the Chicago Cubs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The hard-throwing right-hander was back to his elite self with the Cubs and White Sox this season, posting a 2.26 ...

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Rowan Wick earned his first save of the season on Tuesday versus the Minnesota Twins. Wick worked a clean 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts. Wick missed most of the season with an intercostal strain, but he returned on August 10. Wick has thrown 8 1/3 innings this season with a 3.52 ERA. The Cubs have used multiple bullpen arms for their rare save chances with Craig Kimbrel being shipped away at the trade deadline and managers looking for saves should avoid their ...

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel recorded his 24th save on the season versus the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Kimbrel was called upon to protect a three-run lead and allowed one single in an otherwise perfect inning with one strikeout. Closer Liam Hendriks went 1 2/3 innings on Wednesday and was unavailable on Thursday. Kimbrel only allowed two runs and recorded 22 saves for the Chicago Cubs, but his time with the White Sox hasn't been as pretty. It was a good sign to see ...

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel suffered a loss on Monday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Kimbrel allowed a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and that would give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead and the victory. Kimbrel was dominant as the Cubs closer this season and allowed just two runs with them, but he has been shaky for the White Sox and has allowed six runs in just 9 1/3 innings thus far. Despite the recent struggles, Kimbrel still has plenty of value in ...

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel got lit up against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Kimbrel was dealt from the Cubs to the White Sox during the trade deadline and his return to Wrigley Field was a not a kind one. Kimbrel entered the contest with only two runs allowed on the year, but that would change after Kimbrel served up a three-run home run to Andrew Romine in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kimbrel had an outing to forget on Friday and would finish with a line of ...

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel has been traded to the Chicago White Sox, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. There is currently no word yet on what the return for the Cubs will be. Kimbrel has been one of the best closers in baseball for some time, and over 39 appearances this year, he is 2-3 with a 0.49 ERA, 0.709 WHIP and 46.7 percent strikeout rate over 36 2/3 innings of work. This will make things interesting for the White Sox, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Kimbrel ...

The Chicago White Sox are in the midst of discussions with the Chicago Cubs to potentially acquire relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, according to David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago. This comes a day after the White Sox acquired relief pitcher Ryan Tepera from their crosstown rivals, as they continue to look for bullpen help. There is no imminent deal, and Kaplan adds that the price will be steep for Kimbrel and that there are several suitors for him, but this would be a huge acquisition for the ...

The Tampa Bay Rays are expressing interest in Chicago Cubs outfielder Kris Bryant and relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, and could trade for one or both of them, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal adds that there's no indication a deal is close to being completed, but the Rays now appear to be in the sweepstakes for the Cubs' top two trade chips just hours before the deadline. Kimbrel would provide a big boost to Tampa Bay's bullpen that has been ravaged by injuries, while Bryant...