3 Free agents the Philadelphia Phillies should be afraid to acquire

The Phillies should not make a move for Craig Kimbrel

Another pitcher Dave Dombrowski has traded for in the past, Craig Kimbrel has, at many points in his career, been one of the best closers in baseball.

Phillies fans were begging the front office to make a move for Kimbrel at the 2021 trade deadline, but he went across town to the Chicago White Sox, instead.

His first half with the Cubs and second half with the Sox were like night and day. Whereas he posted a 0.49 ERA over 39 appearances with the Cubs, his ERA skyrocketed to 5.09 in 24 games with the Sox.

Part of this was due to him being used as a setup man rather than closer. He closed 35 games for the Cubs and only eight for the Sox.

Kimbrel does have the postseason experience the Phillies are looking for, but he’s a risk in October, too. During the Red Sox’s 2018 postseason run, he had a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 innings, and Alex Cora was so concerned about his reliability that he used his starting pitchers in relief in each series. The final inning of the World Series was given to Chris Sale instead of Kimbrel, just to be safe.

It’s likely the Sox exercise his club option for 2022 and then flip him, so as to gain something rather than simply let him walk. It’s a smart plan for them, but the Phillies should not allow themselves to be enticed.