Cubs present Craig Kimbrel | MLB.com

CHICAGO – Jon Lester compared the addition of Craig Kimbrel, a closer elite, to a Christmas present, but was then told that he had to stay in his wrapper for at least a week. When the gift is opened, it will always be exactly what the Cubs wanted.
Friday

CHICAGO – Jon Lester compared the addition of Craig Kimbrel, a closer elite, to a Christmas present, but was then told that he had to stay in his wrapper for at least a week. When the gift is opened, it will always be exactly what the Cubs wanted.

On Friday morning, Chicago made the situation official: Kimbrel is a Cub. The team announced a news that spread like wildfire on Wednesday, when an agreement was reached with the All-Star seven times for a three-year deal worth $ 43 million. Kimbrel will be with the Cubs until 2021 and his contract includes an option to acquire or club for the campaign.

The moment was critical, in the eyes of Anthony Rizzo.

"It's early too, we have to win every game," Rizzo said Wednesday night. "Every game is important, it will fall on the wire, the National League is too good this year, we can not take any win for granted."

The Cubs and Kimbrel held a press conference at Wrigley Field before Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Maddon on the addition of Kimbrel … pic.twitter.com/nKlrPXLlAG

– Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 7, 2019

"We could see how long it could take, and I worked accordingly," said Kimbrel. At this point, I have probably thrown a long time and thrown as many bulls as I have ever had. But I feel really good and ready to go.

"It's not about returning to the field as quickly as possible; it's about being the best I can be in October and over the last few years and doing what I've done for this team. "

According to reports, Kimbrel will earn $ 10 million this year, followed by $ 16 million in 2020 and in 21. If his option for $ 22 is not earned, the Cubs will have a $ 16 million club option, or a $ 1 million buyback, for a fourth year. There will be salaries in the books over the next few seasons, but the Cubs have reported since the start of the off season that there was little financial leeway for this year.

"As soon as [Cubs president] Theo [Epstein] and David [Meter, Kimbrel’s agent] On the phone, we knew the situation was moving in the right direction, "said Kimbrel. Just by the conversation, the comings and goings and the willingness to negotiate and get to this point. We both wanted that to happen, and that's why I'm here. "

Epstein said he had received positive feedback from one of Kimbrel's last sessions.

"We sent one of our scouts, Joe Nelson, and our great scout, David Ross, to see the training session. Rossy actually caught Craig's first major league throw, and he was watching Craig launch a pen, ready to sign as a free agent. This market has gone extremely well; both guys said that he was in the mid-season form. Everything worked well, the ball came out really well.

"We kept talking and it became obvious that Craig was serious about his interest in the Cubs. If there was a chance that this would happen, we wanted to get there. We saw a unique opportunity – how many times can you add a nearer elite, like Craig, who is probably on the Hall of Fame's trajectory, with the need to have a mid-season without giving up any perspective? It's such a great opportunity for the Cubs. So we all sat down and said, "If there is a way to make that happen, we want Craig to wear the uniform of his Cubs."

Part of the salary equation was changed when on May 8, Ben Zobrist, a 38-year-old veteran, was placed on the restricted-access list to deal with an affair. of family. The return of Zobrist this season is uncertain, which means that Chicago is expected to reallocate $ 9 million north of his salary of $ 19.5 to $ 19.00 – it's not activated for the rest of the season. Epstein said Wednesday that he has kept in touch with Zobrist, but that there is still no timetable.

Even with the unexpected budget room, the Cubs had to play enough to convince the reception to engage as early in this type of deal. Although there have been inconsistencies in the list, the group once again looks like a legitimate competitor of the World Series. The only area that clearly needed an upgrade was the back of the office.

"The trade deadline is long," said Epstein. "But, I think we showed that we had a lot of talent, and that we managed to get out of this early-season event, we showed some character … I think there's had a very good performance as expected, but it's certainly an area in which, as I said earlier, we plan to be aggressive, if an addition can help guys sneak into the right places. "

From the first day of the off season, Kimbrel seemed to be the most logical solution. Kimbrel, 31, had a career-high average of 1.91 with 333 saves and 14.7 strikeouts in nine innings in nine seasons at the Majors. Last season, the right-hander earned a 2.74 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 31 innings in 62 1/3 for the Red Sox.

With the draft MLB now in the rearview mirror, his signature is no longer accompanied by draft compensation. That, combined with the financial component, makes it time for Epstein to strike with another player in a long list of maneuvers to strengthen his club.

Still, Lester felt that the move would not have been possible without the game of the field team.

"If we do not play as well and our album is a bit different," said Lester, "I think that probably changes their view of things … [The front office] intensified great for us. It's a huge thing for us. "

Now, Lester will have to wait for the gift to arrive.

"I just hope that he will be able to arrive here soon and wear the uniform," Lester said.

Director Joe Maddon echoed this sentiment.

"The support you receive from the top really indicates what everyone feels about your group, expectations and opportunities," Maddon said. "When you can add an article like this now, ahead of the normal deadline, even more impressive I think.

"I can see the guys smile easily. I think it gives you this atmosphere of series a little earlier. But most of all, I think I've learned about club house players, that when they feel support from above, it really matters to them. "