Daily News | Why Craig Kimbrel believes the Phillies can help him to regain his dominance
“Not to lie, I still do want to throw that last pitch,” Kimbrel said Thursday in a Zoom news conference. “It’s always been a goal of mine. It’s something I dreamed of as a kid. But do I understand that there are a lot of things between here and there? Yes, I understand that as well.”
But when Kimbrel met in person last month with pitching coach Caleb Cotham and director of pitching Brian Kaplan, and in a follow-up conversation with manager Rob Thomson, he was told in no uncertain terms that he will only be part of a late-inning mix that includes Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado, and maybe newly acquired lefty Matt Strahm.
“I think I gave up enough singles for three years,” said Kimbrel, who allowed more singles last year than total hits in 2014, 2016, and 2018, when he was the most dominant closer in baseball. “I think there’s a lot of things that I can look at that I can change, and it can change the outcome of a lot of things.”
Kimbrel represents the last major move in an offseason in which the Phillies signed All-Star shortstop Trea Turner, No. 4 starter Taijuan Walker, and Strahm. The payroll sits at approximately $248.8 million, firmly in luxury-tax territory and just shy of the second-tier threshold of $253 million.
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