DNVR Exclusive: Craig Kimbrel on his outstanding career; will Colorado be the next destination

When closing your eyes and envisioning a silhouette standing atop the mound in a critical game during the ninth-inning, strong odds suggest you’re thinking about a closer and not a starting pitcher polishing off a complete game.

This closer – who may or may not be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame – was elite for a period of time. 

If you came of age during the 90s and 2000s, you witnessed the likes of Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, and guys like Eric Gagne and Billy Wagner were dominant for stretches, too. A generation earlier it was Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers, and others such as Sparky Lyle and Kent Tekulve had their moments as well.

The one thing they all had in common was an innate ability to succeed with the game on the line. As simple as recording the 27th out may seem on paper, only a chosen few have been able to consistently possess this intangible.

“It really doesn’t matter how many years you’ve done it or how many saves you have,” Chicago White Sox reliever Craig Kimbrel said of the secret sauce that makes for being a great closer. “Everybody’s got a different approach to the game and a different mindset. Nobody’s wrong. Nobody’s right.”

But being able to have as much consistent success as Kimbrel, a player who leads all active relievers in career saves (372), All-Star Game selections (8), and shares in Cy Young Award voting, is a lot more about possessing that gift which separates mere closers to generational talents. 

Kimbrel is alongside Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman as three of the best in the industry over the past decade. Each man has over 300 saves and will top over $100 million in career earnings, unprecedented for players who have never appeared as a starting pitcher. They’ve each won a World Series – three of the last five – and are separated in age by just 241 days. 

During the week of the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, the stars of the sport gathered across from Coors Field at McGregor Square to debate any and all topics of the day, from playing at altitude to the universal designated hitter to use of sticky substances and even their favorite shoe from the Air Jordan line. 

Kimbrel, an eight-time All-Star who has played for five different clubs during his 12-year career, has discussed closing with many of the greatest tasked with that role at each of his destinations.

“I talked to Billy (Wagner) a while when I was coming up in Atlanta. When I was in San Diego, I got a chance to talk to Trevor (Hoffman) quite a bit. And then obviously (Dennis) Eckersley in Boston, so I’ve gotten to talk to some guys over the years that have done it and done it very, very well. And it just seems like every guy’s mentality is to take the ball out there every day and get the win for the team.”

The mentality of a closer is what often separates them from mere relievers, some of which simply pitch the inning prior or face even more challenging hitters. And once you’ve got the knack, you can always get it back.

Coming off two substandard performances in 2019 and 2020, Kimbrel figured out the mechanics that plagued him during his first two seasons with the Cubs. This year, he pitched to a 0.49 ERA (36.2 IP, 2 ER) while the North Siders stuck around towards the top of the NL Central in the first half. His 874 ERA+ through July 30 would have been highest all-time for a pitcher with as many innings since the advent of the earned run in 1912 had he continued to be so utterly dominant. 

During a rare off-day during the postseason on Wednesday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale dropped a tweet suggesting the recently eliminated White Sox would be picking up the $16 million option on Kimbrel’s contract and shopping the Alabama-native during an offseason in which few candidates have the same pedigree. 

Colorado has made no secrets about improving the bullpen. It’s a priority for nearly every club, and manager Bud Black has stated that an upgrade of relievers on the roster is paramount.

Naturally, the question arises: would the Rockies be in the market for adding Kimbrel?

Three factors could make the acquisition of Kimbrel challenging, but not altogether impossible. 

First, Colorado would surely be paying a majority, if not all, of the $16 million due to the 33-year-old next season. That’s just short of the average annual salary paid to former closer Wade Davis, who had a 9.77 ERA from 2019-20 following his masterful age 32 season in 2018.

Comments from the organization suggest added spending for 2022, but with projections of approximately $100 million on the roster after arbitration-eligible players are signed, there may not be room for significant additions to get over the 2021 Opening Day payroll of $105.6 million. All of which makes it a challenge to acquire a closer of this caliber while also coming together on an extension of Jon Gray, adding a power bat for the lineup and finding a replacement for the likely-departing Trevor Story at shortstop.

New GM Bill Schmidt will also have to decide if Kimbrel is an addition that makes his club markedly better. Considering the Rockies had the fourth-most blown saves (30) and fifth-worst save percentage (.524) in 2021, one could argue that an increased consistency in save situations could bridge the gap to becoming Wild Card contenders.

Finally, Colorado would need to part with something in order for the White Sox to sign off on a Kimbrel deal. While the previous administration was reluctant to ship off their prospects, it remains to be seen how Schmidt will handle the trade market as it relates to those players he’s hand selected while running the MLB Draft for the organization.

“It’s changed over the years,” Kimbrel said of his approach to training routines which date back to Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL, nearly 15 years ago. “I had the workouts I knew from (then). They changed when I got into the big leagues and they’ve changed over the years based on how I feel and getting older and things like that.”

Kimbrel’s rebound this season got away from him once he took the Red Line “L” to play for the South Siders at the trade deadline, struggling in a role as set-up man for Liam Hendriks, a throughline that continued in the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros.

Nevertheless, any number of teams will be interested in his services this offseason. He’ll turn 34 years old next year, but that hasn’t been a harbinger for effective relievers in the past.

A total of 23 closers saved 100 games or more beyond that point in their career, 14 of whom have done it since the first year of the Wild Card in 1995. (Heck, Billy Taylor recorded 98 of his 99 career saves for the Oakland Athletics after turning 34 years old.)

Betting on Kimbrel to join that group is not as far fetched as it may seem, even considering the relative step back his career has taken. Another year older is never good, but another year wiser can mean everything in baseball.

“You have to listen to your body. Everybody’s different. Some may get advice from someone to do one thing, but your body might be telling you another, and this is something you gotta figure out every time.”

Kimbrel has had the recipe before, and he owns the ingredients. The only thing to prove now is if he can still satisfy and if anyone is buying what he’s got.