Phillies should consider Craig Kimbrel or Dallas Keuchel after key deadline

Following a June 3 deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies can now pursue either Craig Kimbrel or Dallas Keuchel without losing draft pick compensation.

This past offseason, many of baseball’s biggest free agent’s remained on the market longer than usual, something Philadelphia Phillies fans know quite well, considering the wait for Bryce Harper spanned to the end of February.

It was not just Harper that took a while to sign. Manny Machado didn’t ink his deal with the San Diego Padres until mid-February.

Along with these players, two more big names who fans awaited to sign deals were Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, who believe it or not, still remain unsigned.

Many believed that one, or both, of them, would sign soon following the Harper and Machado mega-deals, but still nothing. The season kicked off and those two still remained on the market.

Now two months into the season, many wonder whether or not they will sign soon.

The Phillies were rumored to be connected to both players all offseason long and both of them fit pretty big needs. Keuchel is a left-handed starter with a solid track record and Keuchel would help stabilize the bullpen while giving the Phillies a closer with a track record of consistent success.

Once the season started and continued to progress, many around the league began to accept the notion that neither Keuchel nor Kimbrel would sign until after June 3.

Why?

If either player were to be signed prior to that date, the signing team would have to surrender a 2020 draft pick. Now that the date has passed, teams can now sign one of these pitchers and not have to lose any draft picks.

With this in mind, the expectation is the now the market will begin to re-heat up for both Keuchel and Kimbrel. Plenty of teams have needs for their services and should be quick to offer deals. The length of the deal will also impact where they end up.

Rumors did surface that length of the deals was another sticky point in negotiations with Keuchel and Kimbrel. Both wanted long-term, lucrative deals, but teams were more wary of handing out a long-term deal with both players in their 30’s and would rather offer one or two-year deals.

The big question now is where do the Phillies fall in all of this?

Both pitchers would benefit the Phillies, but many point to Kimbrel as the better fit. When you consider the amount of late-game losses the Phillies have suffered this season should make Kimbrel a better fit.

The bullpen has been pretty good this season, but nothing remarkable and if it wasn’t for some blown games by the bullpen, the Phillies would have around five or six more wins. Teams will blow saves, but for a team that has deep postseason aspirations, the Phillies must limit those late-game meltdowns.

Currently having about $144 million on the books this season, the Phillies have the cap space to make a handful of midseason moves to upgrade their roster. It is known that there will be trades, but an in-season signing by the club should be considered a possibility.

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With that being said, what kind of deal could the Phillies give Kimbrel? Odds are they are against giving him a multi-year deal, especially when you have to give some extensions moving forward, such as the fact that Kimbrel is 31 and relies mainly on high velocity.

A one-year prorated deal for around $8-$10 million would be the Phillies best bet. It gives them someone who fills a need for this season and gives the club flexibility moving forward. The key will be getting Kimbrel to commit to a one-year deal knowing he will be back on the market next offseason, and I’m sure Kimbrel doesn’t feel like doing this all over again.

If the Phillies were to sign Kimbrel or Keuchel, odds are they wouldn’t even be with the team until at least July. Neither had a spring training, so they would have to go to Florida for some work and then make a few minor league appearances before being deemed ready for big league action.

The Phillies are certain to be seeking upgrades over the next two months, and now with the downside of losing a compensatory pick in the rearview mirror, the Phillies should be aggressive in adding another arm to upgrade their staff.

Competing with other teams expressing interest as well won’t be easy, but at least Philadelphia has the advantage of being a top contender in the National League to help generate potential interest from either player if needed.