Phillies rumors: Craig Kimbrel trade more complicated than it seems

According to MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand, the Chicago Cubs are planning to be “sellers” at this year’s trade deadline. One of the more intriguing teams in Major League Baseball heading into the July deadline due to the vast amount of talent that they possess on expiring deals, the Cubs project to be one of the more active teams here in a few weeks’ time. For the sake of the Philadelphia Phillies and what their goals are moving forward, that’s pretty good news.

Before even getting to the likes of Craig Kimbrel, the Cubs have a plethora of talent on their roster that should be considered attractive to Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies. Kris Bryant has long been mentioned as a Phillies target due to the childhood friendship that he shares with Bryce Harper, and Javier Baez is one of the top shortstops in the game right now – a position that the Phillies still don’t have a longterm answer at despite the return of Didi Gregorius this past offseason.

For what it’s worth, a move for either Bryant or Baez feels incredibly unlikely from the Phillies standpoint. Both players could be signed in the winter via free agency, and the Phillies simply don’t have a deep enough farm system to justify splurging on midseason rental acquisitions.

However, closer Craig Kimbrel – who is under team control through 2022 – is a different story. Not only would he solve the Phillies immediate need for an established closing pitcher, but he would also be around for next year’s campaign, a year where many expect Dombrowski to go all-in on making a deep postseason run.

Of course, Dombrowski has also traded for Kimbrel once before when he was overseeing the Red Sox. That personal relationship is already in place.

The Phillies trading for closer Craig Kimbrel isn’t as simple as it seems.

While Kimbrel does look like a dream trade target for the Phils on paper, such a move is a little more complicated than some are making it out to be. First and foremost, Kimbrel is having an insanely good season (0.57 ERA, 20 saves) which means multiple teams are going to come calling for the right-hander’s services over the next few weeks. Even if the Phillies are hell-bent on landing Kimbrel at the deadline, they could quite easily be outbid by a number of contending organizations who are also in the market for a closer.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

Additionally, Kimbrel is on a rather large salary, a salary that the Phillies currently can’t fit into their budget if they wish to remain under the luxury tax. While Dombrowski could in theory push the Phillies over the tax for a year (and swiftly get back under it the following winter), it’s a maneuver that owner John Middleton has shown extreme reluctance to allow in the past.

The Phillies chose to stay under the tax this past offseason, despite there being some pretty sweet starting pitching talent still available to be signed later on in the free agency process (Taijuan Walker, for example).

When you factor in the high asking price and the large salary, the Phillies making an aggressive play for Kimbrel actually begins to feel pretty unlikely. While one could argue that the NL East is so bad that such a move is worth it, it’s somewhat hard to imagine Dombrowski and/or Middleton feeling the same way.

Money and tradable prospects are already tight, the Phils *probably* don’t want to burn all their assets on a singular relief arm.