The Boston Red Sox have officially been in contact with free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel in recent days -- just not for the reasons you'd think.
Rather than approach Kimbrel about returning to Boston and shoring up the bullpen, the Red Sox have invited their old closer to attend next week's ring ceremony, per MassLive.com:
The Red Sox have formally invited Kimbrel to attend the team's ring ceremony before next Tuesday's home opener, team president Sam Kennedy said in an email. Kimbrel has not yet accepted or declined the offer.
Well, that's one way for Kimbrel to stay busy at least. Unfortunately, it might be the most intriguing offer on the table for him at the moment. Recent interest from the Milwaukee Brewers thus far hasn't resulted in an agreement, and the Atlanta Braves haven't been in touch in a while, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Braves pursued Kimbrel late in spring with short-term interest but there’s no evidence anything’s currently being discussed between the sides. Hard to believe Kimbrel, on a Hall of Fame path, is still out. He’d help anyone.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 3, 2019
Kimbrel is,the all-time leader in saves through an age-30 season. Over the last three years, he's posted a 184 ERA+ and struck out more than four times as many batters as he's walked. He has an electric arm and a bevy of late-game and postseason experience. And nobody seems to want him -- this despite teams valuing relievers more than ever.
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For Kimbrel's sake -- heck, for everyone's sake, given how fun it is to watch him pitch -- here's hoping he finds a team sooner than later. As it stands, this becomes more and more embarrassing for baseball with every passing day.
