We're nearly an eighth of the way through the 2019 season, yet closer Craig Kimbrel remains unsigned. Remarkably, Kimbrel is unemployed despite reasonable contract demands and few genuine arguments against his addition. More than two-thirds of the league could sign Kimbrel today to a deal worth $14-to-15 million and not have it impact their luxury-tax numbers or their potential to make further in-season additions. That no team has broken from the pack to this point means Kimbrel remains an opportunity for someone to get better -- an opportunity that, in theory, could help decide one division in particular: the National League East.
The Philadelphia Phillies entered Wednesday up a half game over the New York Mets in the division standings. The Phillies have since extended their lead with a head-to-head victory in a matinee game, but the Mets are just one of three (with the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals) who are expected to compete all year long with the Phillies for the division crown. At absolute most, the Phillies will be up 3 ½ games over the fourth-place Nationals at day's end.
It's worth highlighting then that each of those teams would benefit from signing Kimbrel -- and not just in the general sense that applies to all 30 clubs. Rather, there's a case to be made that the four teams in question are among the top five or six most sensible landing spots for a high-quality reliever like Kimbrel. With that in mind, allow us to illustrate by laying out the circumstances for each group. (Note that we're presenting these in alphabetical order.)
