Milwaukee Brewers: Adding Craig Kimbrel would make bullpen unstoppable

It was reported that the Milwaukee Brewers and closer Craig Kimbrel are in contract talks, this addition would make an already stout bullpen incredibly tough to score on.

The Milwaukee Brewers have already been fairly active this offseason with signing Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal, but it appears they have another big name player that they have been linked to in closer Craig Kimbrel.

At 30-years-old and coming off of a World Series win with the Boston Red Sox, Kimbrel is regarded by most as the best relief pitcher in free agency this offseason, and for good reasons.

In 2018, Kimbrel would throw 69 innings, allowing just 11 earned runs, recording 35 saves and finishing with a WAR of 2.3. This type of performance is something that Kimbrel has been doing his entire career for the most part. Since 2011, Kimbrel has a 0.920 WHIP, 1.91 ERA, 333 career saves and has struck out an incredible 14.7 batters per nine innings pitched.

More from Dairyland Express

• Packers Week 14 Rooting Guide: Best Outcomes for Playoff Odds
• What to Know: Packers reportedly sign RB Kenyan Drake
• Packers Rookie Ladder After Massive Win Over Chiefs
• What to Know: Packers claim CB David Long off waivers
• Bucks Film Room Podcast: 3 Positive Takeaways

Like most relief pitchers, Kimbrel relies on two pitches, for him, it is a fastball that can reach the upper 90s and a nasty curve. The combination of the two pitches makes it quite difficult for batters to even make contact as referenced by the number of strikeouts per nine innings that Kimbrel has been able to put up over his career.

A big reason that Kimbrel has gone unsigned up to this point is most likely due to his heavy asking price. It was reported back in December that Kimbrel wanted a six-year, $100 million deal and even though Kimbrel has been dominant for a number of seasons, that is a lot for a team to commit to when the pitcher is 30-years-old.

However, with Opening Day beginning very soon, Kimbrel may be willing to lower his asking price and as any good general manager does, David Stearns has stepped in to see if he can bring the power closer to Milwaukee. Although at this point he may not get the contract he desires, he will still command $12 plus million per year, it just may be on a shorter deal.

The Milwaukee Brewers already have one of the better bullpens in all of baseball led by their three All-Stars, Jeremy Jeffress, Corey Knebel, and Josh Hader. They have also added Alex Claudio this offseason and if Matt Albers is healthy and can return to his form from early 2018, they give the Brewers two more fantastic options out of the pen.

If the Milwaukee Brewers and Kimbrel do come to an agreement and sign a contract, let’s imagine we are watching the Brewers late in the season in a must-win game. The starting pitcher goes four innings and beginning in the fifth we head to the bullpen.

Out comes the hard-throwing, strikeout machine Josh Hader for two innings. He is then followed up by Jeffress who can work his way out of just about any situation and in the eighth, Knebel and his nasty curveball takes over. Lastly, to close out the ninth Milwaukee sends in Kimbrel with his fastball and curve.

All I have to say is best of luck to the opposing team and between those four pitchers, that is a lot of strikeouts we could see. With this many options to choose from in the bullpen, it takes a bit pressure off of the starting rotation, which has been a concern for some.

With the moves already made this offseason, it is clear that the Milwaukee Brewers are all in on making it to and winning the World Series. While the National League is going to be highly competitive, the addition of Kimbrel would make the Brewers the team to beat.