PHILADELPHIA — The active leader in saves will pitch out of the Phillies’ bullpen this year.
But will Craig Kimbrel be the closer?
That was the question Wednesday after Kimbrel passed a physical and finalized a one-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies. It’s likely the last major offseason roster move by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and reunites him with Kimbrel, who saved 108 games over three seasons and won a World Series with the Dombrowski-led Boston Red Sox.
Kimbrel, 34, will be the Phillies’ highest-paid reliever, the terms of the deal matching Corey Knebel’s contract last year. Knebel was assigned to the closer role by then-manager Joe Girardi. But if Rob Thomson stays true to form, the Phillies won’t make the same designation with Kimbrel, or any other reliever on the roster.
Thomson removed the struggling Knebel from the ninth-inning role in the middle of June and resisted the temptation to replace him. The Phillies won 65 of 111 regular-season games under Thomson and had 10 relievers record at least one save, including converted starter Zach Eflin in the playoff clincher on Oct. 3 in Houston.
Rather than assigning a specific inning to each reliever, Thomson used his late-inning options based on matchups. Depending on the opponent and the situation, he may have preferred Seranthony Domínguez in the eighth inning over the ninth, or José Alvarado in the seventh over the eighth, or David Robertson in the ninth instead of the seventh. The bullpen functioned well under those circumstances.
Indications are that Thomson wants to maintain a similar flexibility this year, although Kimbrel’s presence may alter the plan if he pitches well. Unlike most closers, he was bred to be a reliever from his first year in the minor leagues rather than being converted from starting. He has 394 career saves, seventh all-time, and has finished 80% of the 709 games in which he has appeared.
Kimbrel dominated in the closer role for the Chicago Cubs in 2021, posting a 0.49 ERA and 23 saves before getting traded to across town to the White Sox. He struggled as a setup man for the first time in his career, notching a 5.09 ERA in 24 appearances.
Last year, Kimbrel got mixed results as the Los Angeles Dodgers closer. He finished with a 3.75 ERA and 22 saves but was removed from the closer role in September and excluded from the Dodgers’ playoff roster for the Division Series.
Whatever the role, Kimbrel will slot into a late-inning role in a Phillies bullpen that also includes Domínguez, Alvarado, Connor Brogdon, newly acquired lefty Matt Strahm, and Andrew Bellatti. The final two spots will be filled through a spring-training competition involving Sam Coonrod and other internal candidates.
Former prospect Francisco Morales was thought to have been in that mix. But to make room for Kimbrel on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated Morales for assignment. If he isn’t claimed on waivers, he could be outrighted to triple A and invited to major-league camp.
The addition of Kimbrel pushes the payroll to approximately $248.8 million, as calculated for the competitive balance tax. Barring any changes, the Phillies would be above the first tax threshold ($233 million) for the second year in a row, which would bump the surcharge from 20% to 30%. They are just shy of the second threshold ($253 million), which would carry an increased tax penalty.
