The Chicago Cubs have been very careful with their free agent spending in recent months, but that changed on Wednesday as the team has reportedly inked free agent closer Craig Kimbrel to a contract.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs, who were “pushing hard” to acquire the services of Kimbrel, are in agreement on a deal with the closer pending a physical. Rosenthal reported that the deal is a three-year contract worth a total of $45 million.
Kimbrel converted 42 saves last season for the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox, making his seventh All-Star team in his big league career. He struck out 96 batters in 62 innings of work, and gave up just 19 earned runs in his 63 appearances.
It's unclear when Kimbrel will join the Cubs' bullpen, but the expectation is that he will move into the team's closer role when he does.
Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.