The Chicago Cubs have been 33-29 during the second half of the 2022 Major League Baseball season and the conversations surrounding the team have subtly changed.
Since the second half of the 2021 season, “postseason” was a word that was seldomly used when talking about the current state of the Cubs’ organization. The Cubs were in a clear rebuild and it seemed baseless for the team to openly refer to their chances of making the postseason.
That conversation has slowly changed.
While speaking with Ron Coomer during “The Cubs Manager Show” on 670 The Score’s pregame show before the Cubs’ victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, team manager David Ross mentioned what players have to do over the offseason to ensure that they are ready to come into 2023 and compete for a postseason spot.
Of course, most managers echo similar sentiments at the end of the season but it does feel different when Ross says it with respect to 2023. 2023 is not necessarily the target year for when the Cubs’ rebuild will be completed but it is shaping to be the year in which the Cubs expect to return to contention.
A return to contention would change certain philosophies that the Cubs have had in regard to the offseason.
One of those philosophies that the Cubs had was targeting veteran relievers with the anticipation of rebuilding their value as a closer and moving them at the trade deadline. The two most recent examples of that philosophy were Craig Kimbrel being moved at the 2021 trade deadline and Dave Robertson being moved at the 2022 trade deadline.
A reunion with Craig Kimbrel in the offseason may be in the best interest of the Chicago Cubs.
The moves have left the Cubs without a legitimate closer. Rowan Wick has had an opportunity to lay claim to the closer role in the Cubs’ bullpen but his struggles this season (4.41 FIP, 1.75 WHIP) will likely lead the Cubs to seek a new closer this offseason.
One name that the Cubs should consider is, well, Kimbrel. Kimbrel has struggled since the trade from the Cubs during the 2021 season.
Kimbrel had a 5.09 ERA (4.56 FIP) during his time with the Chicago White Sox at the end of the 2021 season and his struggles have continued into 2022 with the Los Angeles Dodgers as he currently has a 4.02 ERA (3.35 FIP).
Kimbrel will be a free agent this off-season and with a return to the Dodgers looking unlikely, the Cubs definitely should look into signing the future Hall of Famer. After signing with the Cubs in 2019, Kimbrel’s work in the team’s pitch lab paid off during the 2021 season as he had a 0.49 ERA (1.10 FIP) with the Cubs prior to the trade with the White Sox. A return for Kimbrel to the Cubs and their pitch lab would make sense as he looks to reclaim a closer role in Major League Baseball.
