Chris Sale Miffed That Craig Kimbrel Is Still A Free Agent
BOSTON (CBS) -- Fans used to be able to rely on MLB's Hot Stove season to help bridge the gap between the final out of the World Series and the start of Spring Training. That has not been the case recently.
Teams haven't really fired up the gas on the hot stove this winter, opting to go with more of a hot-plate approach to the offseason. Big-name free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned as teams start their spring stretch sessions. All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel is also among those unsigned stars, which has his former teammates Chris Sale rather flummoxed.
Sale isn't one to express his disdain for much (aside from throwback jerseys), but he couldn't hold back his criticism of MLB on Wednesday down in Fort Myers, Florida. The Boston lefty took aim at teams for tanking, those more interested in collecting their cut of the revenue sharing than winning ballgames.
"It's crazy to me," Sale said of Kimbrel's free agent status. "I don't want to get too far into it with the politics of baseball and all this stuff, but he's as good as it gets. He 100 percent makes any team better that he plays for. It's crazy to think that there really hasn't been a whole lot of traction with him. I think obviously with half the league just showing up for checks, it doesn't help."
Kimbrel's agent didn't do much to help his client ahead of the offseason, calling him the greatest closer ever and saying he should be paid as such. Demands for a six-year deal reportedly followed, with the agent expressing their desire for Kimbrel to be the highest paid closer in baseball. No one came knocking for the flamethrower this winter.
With 333 saves and a 1.91 ERA for his career, Sale says his former teammate deserves much better.
"He's earned it. You'd just like to see better for him. He's put in the time, he's put in the effort, he's put it on the line. It's time for somebody to do that for him," said Sale.
That somebody likely won't be the Red Sox, as Dave Dombrowksi has held firm on his stance that the team will now spend a large chunk of their payroll on a closer -- any closer. Dombrowski sounded optimistic that the team can find an in-house option to take over for Kimbrel, who saved 108 games for Boston over the last three seasons.
Sale also sounds confident in whomever the Sox tab as their next closer.
"Going forward, if he's not in the mix, I think we have a handful of guys who can lock down the ninth inning and we have a lot of young guys that can step up as well," said Sale. "I think, obviously people like to make a big deal about it, but where we sit as players and our staff and our coaches, I think we're confident with the group we have going forward without the additions."
Sale himself will hit the free agent market after this season. He said he won't be worrying about his next contract during the season, but expressed a strong desire to remain in Boston.
"This is a special place," he said. "This is a special group of people. A very special city and an unbelievable fan base. Not to mention the fact that we've got a hell of a team. And we're going to have that team for a few years to come. It's a good place for me. It's a good spot. I'd love to keep playing here.
"We'll just see how it works out," he continued. "You have agents, contracts, all this stuff. I'm going to let them play it out. If it works, it works. If not, it's been a blast. I have no hard feelings. No ill will. And I'll just keep doing what I do."
