3 Phillies Who Will Be Gone After the Postseason

2. Craig Kimbrel

Kimbrel served his purpose this year, coming in on a one-year deal to be the team’s closer. He handled the job well, going 8-6 with 23 saves and a 3.36 ERA.

That said, this offseason feels like a good time to let Kimbrel go. He’s going to be a free agent, and a risky one at that as a 35-year-old.

While he was effective this year, Kimbrel did show a few signs of slowing down. The 10 homers he allowed was the most of his career, while his 3.97 FIP was the second-worst mark of his career.

Kimbrel also has a lot of innings on his arm at this point. He’s pitched 14 seasons and has been a part of several deep postseason runs, putting additional strain on his body. For someone who relies on velocity to blow hitters away, his arm is going to run out of gas at some point.

We don’t want that to happen on our watch, especially if we’re paying him millions of dollars for the trouble. The Phillies would be better off going in a different direction at closer, ideally with someone younger and cheaper. Orion Kerkering is waiting in the wings, and letting Kimbrel leave opens the door for him to take over the closer role.

Dombrowski already let Kimbrel walk once before (after winning the World Series with Boston in 2018), so he won’t hesitate to do so again.