The Boston Red Sox have acquired Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres in a trade for four prospects, pulling off one of the big early moves of the offseason. The Red Sox could be active in free agency this winter and players like David Price, Alex Gordon, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and Chris Davis could be potential targets.
The Red Sox made a splash with the Kimbrel move and now the team has a standout closer to put in at the end of the bullpen. The bullpen was a major issue for the Red Sox last season and to get the deal done, the team gave up prospects Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Logan Allen and Carlos Asuaje to the Padres. According to Hardball Talk, three of the prospects are ranked in the top 13 in the Red Sox system and that makes it a fairly substantial gain for the Padres.
Kimbrel has been one of the best closers in baseball for the past few years and now he takes over as the go-to pitcher for the Red Sox. The Padres acquired Kimbrel from the Braves last year and now the Red Sox will take on his contract, which has $11 million for this season and $13 million for next year. Kimbrel comes in after recording 39 saves last season with a 2.58 ERA and he put up 87 strikeouts in 59 innings of work.
Dave Dombrowski has started off his time with the Red Sox by being aggressive and the team could also look at free agency for additions to help bolster the roster. Boston's pitching rotation was very inconsistent last season and this year the team could look at players like David Price, Johnny Cueto or Jordan Zimmermann as targets, according to MassLive.com. The Red Sox can spend big if they want to and Price is expected to command one of the biggest contracts this offseason.
Price posted a 2.45 ERA last season in 32 starts between the Tigers and the Blue Jays and he could be the ace that the team has been looking for since getting rid of Jon Lester. Zack Greinke is also on the market, but he may not be a main target for the Red Sox if they have to get into a bidding war with the Dodgers. Greinke had a historic season in 2015 with a 1.66 ERA and a 19-3 record for the Dodgers and he should command a big salary this offseason.
Zimmermann and Cueto are also notable starting pitchers on the market and while they will also cost some cash, they will not be getting as much money as either Price or Greinke. Both players are 29 and each would be a nice fit in the Red Sox rotation. Buster Olney at ESPN reports that Alex Gordon could be a potential target in the outfield, while teams like the Astros and Orioles also could be interested. Jackie Bradley has been mentioned in trade talks and the Boston Herald reports that teams like the Mariners, Royals and Cubs could be interested.
